Cocoa Cultivation and Harvest 

Cocoa cultivation plays a significant role in the economies of many tropical countries and provides livelihoods for millions of farmers worldwide. Cocoa beans are mainly used for producing chocolate, cocoa powder, and cosmetics. Cocoa beans are mainly cultivated in humid countries. In India, Kerala stands at the top for cocoa production.

Cocoa can be cultivated as a mixed crop along with coconut and areca nuts. Cocoa plants always prefer humid environments, and they yield more in high-rainfall areas. Cocoa is a shade-loving plant, so choosing a shaded area is better. To maintain moisture, coconut husk, banana sheath, cocoa husk, etc. can be used.

Plant selection and method

Select good and healthy plants that are of at least 4 to 5 months old. If you choose inter-crop cultivation, you can plant at least 500 plants per acre. Irrigation is the next important thing. If the moisture level is low, it’s better to irrigate plants on alternate days. And remember to drain out water from fields during heavy rainfall. The pits should be taken one month in advance and filled with topsoil and 15-20 kg compost or FYM.

Manures and fertilizers

Organic manures and fertilizers are best for cocoa plants. Rotten Cow dung can be applied (20kg/plant). And Dolomite at 100g/plant/year can be applied to plants from the third year on. Pruning must be done every year. Good quality plants will start yielding from the second year itself.

Harvest and storage

Cocoa starts giving yields after 3 years of planting. It took almost 5–6 months for a cocoa pod to mature. Harvesting time depends on the color of the pod. An yellow color can be seen on the groves, and later it spreads throughout the entire pod. Those pods can be harvested and heaped for 2–3 days for fermentation. Then the pod can be broken to collect cocoa beans from it. The collected cocoa beans are then dried and stored for making cocoa powder and chocolate. 3kg of wet beans can yield up to 1 kg of dried beans.