He Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI) managed the international marketing of 75 tons of cocoa produced by the Bocatoreña Cacao Multiple Services Cooperative (Cocabo, RL)intended for buyers in Switzerland, Germany and France. The institution plans to double sales of this grain to the European market and the United States.
The operation benefits more than 1,500 families of rural and indigenous producers in the province of Bocas del Toro. This group cultivates 3,185 hectareswith an estimated annual production of 350 metric tons of the product.
Institutional efforts allowed the cooperative to complete shipments to Switzerland and maintain open negotiations to ship additional batches of between 25 and 50 metric tons to Europe.
The Minister of Commerce and Industries, Julio Moltóindicated that the management seeks to generate results in employment and investment for producing families, by creating conditions to place the national offer in international markets.
For its part, the general manager of Cocabo, RL, Manuel Palaciospointed out that participation in international promotion platforms facilitated by the MICI made it possible to establish direct contacts with European buyers. According to the spokesperson, this commercial relationship strengthens the competitiveness of the sector in the face of the demands of foreign trade.
The MICI maintains advisory programs, paperwork management and technical support to support local companies in the export process, with the aim of increasing the added value of regional and regional agricultural production.
The exported figure represents the 21.4% of the annual harvest capacity reported by the Bocatoreña cooperative. Compliance with the projected volumes will depend on the continuity of trade negotiations and the logistical capacity to maintain the standards required by importers in Europe and the United States.
