The conference aimed to update information and technology for farmers in cultivating and preserving cacao after harvest.

Vietnam now has more than 12,000ha of cacao, mainly in Dac Lak, Ben Tre, Ba Ria-Vung Tau. With a total yield of 1,000 tonnes of processed cacao nut per years, Vietnam only has a tiny share in the world’s market.

A representative of Cargill Vietnam, a leading American company that collects and processes cacao nuts, said that there will be a shortage of 200,000 tonnes of cacao on the global market next year and this trend is predicted to continue in several years. This is an excellent chance for Vietnam to accelerate the development of cacao in the country. However, to sustainably integrate into the world market, Vietnam should focus on improving the knowledge and techniques of farmers in parallel with expanding the cultivation area and increasing the cacao yield.