Hershey’s allocates 6 million pesos for cocoa recovery in Chiapas

Tapachula, Chiapas. There are two main cocoa producing states in the country, Tabasco which contributes 67% and Chiapas with 33%, generating 28,400 tons of cocoa per year. Worldwide, Mexico ranks 13th in cocoa production and the Chiapas seed is in the Top 50 of the best cocoas in the world, according to the Communication Council.

Given the above scenario, in the hands of ECOM Cocoa and the Cacao Foundation, Hersey Mexico announced the next phase of the Hershey’s Cocoa Project, through which, in 10 years, it has allocated 38 million pesos with the aim of recovering the planting of cocoa in the state of Chiapas. In this new stage, the investment amounts to 6 million pesos, for three years, which together adds up to 44 million pesos.

The Hershey’s Cocoa Project, part of the firm’s Social Responsibility, encompasses four main pillars:

1. The prosperity of the communities: 144 cocoa producers in Tapachula, Chiapas, will be trained to obtain a better production of this fruit, in addition to the planting of 86,000 plants tolerant to the Moniliasis plague, which will be delivered to producers belonging to the to the initiative.

2. The preservation of ecosystems: Through talks and training, they highlight the importance of promoting the diversification of crops in the region and zero deforestation in order to provide greater resilience to producers in the face of climate change.

3. The empowerment of youth to maintain traditions: Through the agreement with the Autonomous University of Chiapas, they promote the inclusion of young people to develop knowledge and experience in cocoa cultivation through training and digital content on crop diversification and issues related to the field as a source of economic development.

4. The expansion of knowledge to raise and promote the culture of cocoa: With the aim of awakening love in the new generations for the cultivation of this ancestral grain through meetings in schools in the region where cocoa is planted, raises awareness in children and young people to promote their interest in planting cocoa.

“In 2007 there was a great loss of cocoa due to the disease called Moniliasis, which destroyed about 90% of the crops in Chiapas, derived from this, in 2012 Hershey and its allies launched the Hershey’s Cocoa Project, with which the planting new varieties of cocoa that are tolerant to the plague and training producers in new ways to diversify production and do it in a more responsible way with people and the planet”, commented Mariana Carranza, Marketing Director of Hershey Mexico.

It should be noted that in this first decade of the initiative, the company has delivered more than 500,000 Moniliasis-resistant plants, more than 500 hectares of crops have been renovated, more than 1,200 producers have been trained and around 900 producers have been certified. In addition, the infrastructure and services of three schools were improved and an agreement was signed with the Autonomous University of Chiapas (UNACH) in order to make young people aware of the importance of cocoa.

To learn more about the Project, you can consult the following page: hersheyland.mx