Cacao exports will surpass US$500 million by 2021, Peru's Agriculture and Irrigation Minister Jose Manuel Hernandez said.
Remarks were made as he visited the 8th edition of the Cacao and Chocolate Salon's venue in Lima on Sunday.
At the site, Hernandez held conversations with producers and businesspersons who provide
added value to the natural product by turning it into chocolate.
The event
Held at Lima Convention Center on
July 6-9 this year, the 8th edition of the Cacao and Chocolate Salon sought to value national cacao as a native product from the Peruvian Amazon, along with its wide genetic diversity.
Furthermore, said exhibition was aimed at establishing contact networks and promoting the commercial activity involving cacao and derivatives in domestic and international markets.
During the four-day event, attendees were able to discover and taste various products from the largest Peruvian chocolate companies.
In addition, this year's Cacao and
Chocolate Salon featured master conferences, business rounds, fashion shows and "choco-demos" (live chocolate-pastry master classes), among other activities.
The mentioned activities were supported by renowned master chocolatiers and pastry chefs from Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan and the United States.
Organizers
The event's organizing committee included Peru's Ministries of Agriculture and Irrigation, Foreign Trade and Tourism, Production, as well as Foreign Affairs.
State-run National Commission for Development and Life without Drugs (DEVIDA), Exports and Tourism Promotion Board (PromPeru), Peruvian Association of Cacao Producers (Appcacao), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were also part of the initiative.
(END) JHM/MVB