A knowledge paper on the cocoa sector, developed by Grant Thornton Bharat in collaboration with FICCI and released at the Cocoa Roundtable, has outlined a comprehensive long-term vision to transform India into a self-sufficient, globally competitive cocoa economy by 2040-41. The 2026-2040 roadmap towards 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' in cocoa has recommended the establishment of a 'National Mission on Cocoa' and emphasized the need for research and development (R&D) and innovation in the sector. As reported by The Hindu BusinessLine, the roundtable on 'India's Cocoa Future: Self Sufficiency and Global Value Chain Integration' was held in New Delhi with the launch of the knowledge paper, 'Empowering the cocoa sector: A strategic roadmap for driving Aatmanirbhar Bharat through sustainable farming'.
The knowledge paper has structured the transformation into three distinct phases. Phase 1 (2026-28) focuses on launching the national mission and establishing a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in the sector, along with creating nearly 250 hectares of polyclonal seed gardens across states. Phase 2 (2028-2030) concentrates on capacity building, involving the establishment of regional CoE hubs and training nearly 1 lakh farmers in the sector. According to the report, this phase emphasizes supplying around 25 million seedlings and creating a pilot digital farmer registry and traceability system. Phase 3 (2030-35) targets increasing cocoa cultivation area to 1 lakh hectares and improving crop yields, with R&D initiatives being scaled up and cocoa processing promotion gaining importance.
India's cocoa sector faces significant import challenges, with annual imports exceeding $866 million as the country currently meets less than 20% of its total requirement. As reported by The Hindu BusinessLine, domestic demand is expected to rise at a CAGR of 5.5%, with consumption reaching 4.67 lakh tonnes of cocoa beans by 2040. This structural shortfall has created a widening supply-demand gap that has pushed India into heavy reliance on imports, presenting both challenges and strategic opportunities to build a resilient, self-reliant cocoa ecosystem aligned with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision. The report highlights that India currently meets only 25-30% of its cocoa demand through domestic production, with experts flagging multiple constraints including limited access to quality planting material, fragmented policy support, underutilised processing capacity and weak digital traceability systems.
Naveen Kumar Patle, Additional Commissioner (Horticulture), Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, emphasized that as a predominantly import-dependent crop, cocoa faces critical challenges across production and post-harvest management in India. According to the ministry statement, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare will leverage these inputs to shape a dedicated policy framework for cocoa, in line with the announcements made in the Union Budget 2026-27, to strengthen domestic production, enhance value chains, and reduce import dependency. Syed Junaid Altaf, Chairperson, FICCI Task Force on Horticulture and Group Executive Director, FIL, highlighted that cocoa holds immense untapped potential to boost farmer incomes and support value-added and export-oriented growth. Industry representatives including Mondelez International, Barry Callebaut, Olam Food Ingredients, CAMPCO and Harrisons Malayalam Limited called for a redefined policy architecture, arguing that a focused ecosystem backed by strong policy support could unlock farmer livelihoods and accelerate progress towards self-reliance.
The knowledge paper emphasizes that by 2035, India should be able to meet 50% of its cocoa demand through domestic production, positioning the country as a global cocoa processing hub. Industry leaders who attended the roundtable highlighted the need for a redefined policy architecture and stronger collaboration across the value chain. Chirag Jain, Partner, Grant Thornton Bharat, noted that the Cocoa Stewardship Forum can serve as a critical platform to bring together industry, government, and other key stakeholders to drive aligned action and strengthen the cocoa ecosystem. The initiative aims to boost domestic production, improve farmer incomes, and establish India as a self-sufficient, globally competitive cocoa economy. Experts also urged rationalisation of tax and tariff structures to incentivise domestic processing and attract foreign direct investment, while emphasising the need for stronger coordination across stakeholders including farmers, processors, and policymakers.
