Cocoa Tree Plantation (Theobroma cacao)

Cocoa Tree Plantation (Theobroma cacao)

Cocoa is one of the important cash crop which fetches good revenue for small farmers. Currently India is importing 40% of its need.  Its demand in India is increasing 15% annually. Cadbury India, Jindal Cocoa, Amul, Campco are encouraging cultivation in India. It is sensitive to direct sun light, so it is cultivated mainly inter-crop with coconut or arecanut trees and  make additional revenues. In India, mainly South India is cultivated with it. Also Gmelina Arborea ( Kumil, White teak, Gamar) can be used as shade.

Varieties:
Popular commercial varieties are Criollo and  Forestero.  Trinitario is hybrid of  Criollo and  Forestero.
Other varieties are Amelonado and Amazon.

Cocoa Plantation inter-crop with coconut tree.

Plantation:  
Cocoa plant is normally raised from sowing seeds. Seeds are sown in the poly bags and raised in 6 months.
or one can get the seedling(saplings) from plant nurseries.

The Pit size needed: 1.5 feet x 1.5 feet x 1.5 feet
Spacing needed: 10 feet
Start of the rainy season is good for planting the seedlings(June). Irrigation to be done as and when it is needed. As inter-crop with coconut trees or arecanut trees, around 200 plants per acre can be planted ( it is needs shadow for growing)



Manuring:

It need manures for good growth. Initial three years can be raised with organic manure.
Nutrient              I Year          II Year       III Year onwards
(gram/tree)
---------------------------------------------------
N                       33              66               100
P                        13              26               40
K                       46              92               140


While applying manure, split equal those gram/tree and apply 2 times a year.

Harvesting:
It needs regular pruning to get good yields. Fruits are called pods which contain seeds( Cocoa beans).

Pest and Disease:
I will cover it in the next post.

Yield:

 200kg-400kg of dry cocoa beans/acre. Yearly income of rs 40000/acre can be earned.

Usage:

Cocoa Powder

Cocoa Butter

It has rich in anti-oxidants. It has good health benefits.  
Cocoa powder : 
It is the low fat component derived from cacao. It contains the most anti-oxidants than cacao butter. Health consultants suggests more intake cacao powder than cacao butter.
It is used in beverage, hot chocolate, cookies and desserts(Many Cocoa recipes are available). And also is used in making dark chocolates( main ingredient). 
Cocoa butter: 
It is used in making white chocolate and milk chocolate. It is used in pharmaceutical, it is non-toxic in room temperature and melting in body temperature suitable for ideal bases in medicine. It is used as ingredient in cosmetics, lotions and ointments.