The Production Ministry (Produce) aims at promoting the production of chocolates with a higher content of Peruvian cacao and the necessary quality standards to enter the most important foreign markets, the portfolio's head Raul Perez-Reyes affirmed.
"We want to work and enhance the entire cacao supply chain, host more fairs and produce chocolates containing between 70% and 80%
Peruvian cacao and fruits like
aguaymanto, among others, thus offering export-quality products (...)," the official noted.
In this regard, the cabinet member remarked the technical regulation on the use of
cacao for chocolate production should be ready this year.
"What we seek to do with cacao is similar to what we did with pisco; in other words, to generate minimum quality levels through technical regulations, as well as offer
Peruvian chocolates with more cacao and less sugar that meet international standards," he added.
According to Perez-Reyes, the Inca country's chocolate industry will not be forced to raise its products' cacao levels to 70% or 80%.
Otherwise, enterprises will be allowed to decide —voluntarily— if they produce chocolates containing
more cacao, he told Andina news agency.
This initiative aims at offering consumers the option of purchasing Peruvian chocolates relying on higher cacao concentration.
(END) MMG/JJN/JAA/MVB