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Cocoa under coconut/oil-palm shade

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao), the source of cocoa beans for chocolate and confectionery, is grown in India principally as a shade-loving intercrop under coconut, arecanut and oil-palm canopies in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Research on cocoa in India is led by ICAR-CPCRI through its regional station at Vittal, which has bred a series of VTL clones and hybrids adapted to palm-based systems.

Cultivation context

Cocoa requires diffuse shade, high humidity and well-drained soils. By planting cocoa as a second tier under established palm orchards, growers utilise the same drip and labour infrastructure and obtain a second cash crop from the same land. CPCRI recommended spacings vary with the overstorey:

Varieties

CPCRI hybrids VTL CH I and VTL CH II are the principal commercial planting materials, with reported yields of around 1.5-2.5 kg dry beans per tree per year under well-managed palm-based systems. Selected clones VTL 3 to VTL 30 are also distributed for region-specific plantings.

Pest and disease profile

The crop is susceptible to vascular streak dieback, black pod (Phytophthora spp.), tea mosquito bug and rats; CPCRI publishes specific spray schedules and sanitation guidelines for each.

Adoption and use

Beans are fermented, dried and sold to processors (Cadbury/Mondelez, Campco, Lotus Chocolate and others). The expansion of oil-palm under the NMEO-OP scheme has created additional opportunities for cocoa intercropping in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Cocoa thus serves as a stable secondary income for many smallholder palm growers.

See also: Areca Nut Cultivation, Coconut Kerala Bondam Dwarf, Oil Palm Cultivation.

References

  1. Cocoa Guide 2018. ICAR-CPCRI.
  2. Cocoa Genetic Resources and their Utilization in Palm-Based Cropping Systems of India. IntechOpen.