A management system for processing cocoa beans could double production and triple farmers’ profits in up to three years. The innovation combines the use of a machine to break the cocoa pods and improved operating and logistics systems for fermentation, drying, and storage. “With this system, farmers can carry out high-quality fermentation to produce fine cocoa,” explains André Mesquita, president of Lago de Tucuruí Technology Park, an incubator based at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA). The new system includes the installation of a machine capable of producing 1,200 kilograms of wet cocoa per hour, as well as other improvements. The next step, says Mesquita, is to develop a new machine to break open the pods. “The machines on the market allow for high productivity, but they make the almonds very dirty. The shell gets broken into a lot of small pieces. For the basic cocoa market this is not important, but for the fine cocoa market it is a problem” (Engenharia Agrícola, Agência Bori).
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