COCOA TO YOUR MOOD

N kavya

The secret affinity for cocoa which you publicly call Chocolate lover.

Cocoa, the must-do element in our deserts is slowly becoming one of the crops in our country. You can see this in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. We can see cocoas cultivated as an intercrop for coconut because the coco tree sheds leaves that are converted naturally to organic manure and it helps in better yielding. The area under cocoa cultivation is under the supervision of many chocolate-producing companies, as contract farming areas. The cocoa is a small evergreen tree. The cocoa takes three years to yield. Then we can see it gives yields every three months in a year. After the process of fertilization, we can see the exocarp (outer layer) turning to green color. One week later, the exocarp ripens to a final yellow color indicating that it is ready for the harvesting process. Then, the plantation caretakers break the exocarp of cocoa which is a thick shell, and then remove the cocoa beans. You can see the cocoa beans covered fully with a white pulp so they make sure the beans are sundries as the white pulp drips out in the process. Later, they wash the cocoa beans thoroughly and then sundry beans for five days. Then, we can see the cocoa beans turning from pinkish to golden brown color. The caretakers store the cocoa beans away from sunlight. Then, every two months the respective company that signed the contract visits the plantation and collects the cocoa beans, and pays them accordingly to the market value. Currently, the market value of cocoa beans is rupees 170/per kg. The collectors later process the cocoa beans in the companies and the cocoa beans are granulated into powder-sized fine cocoa powder. Which we use for multiple purposes such as baking, cooking, and even pastry making.

The plantation workers, collectors’ processors, and many other people involved in the process work hard and bring to us the cocoa powder and chocolate flavor that we all love. Cocoa is nutritious and is very easy to add to our diets. It helps maintain blood sugar and improves heart and brain health. It is rich in antioxidants and also promotes a healthy vision. It also has its demerits such as sleeplessness, increased urination, irritability, dehydration, nervousness, and has high-calorie count.

Cocoa also provides the raw material for the multi-billion global chocolate so the major chocolate-producing companies in India such as Amul, Hershey’s, and Cadbury encourage the coconut or areca nut plantation owners to grow the cocoa trees by giving free cocoa tr.ess and also providing the manure needed to the plants. The government also encourages providing subsidies to the farmers because it provides a livelihood for smallholder farmers. At last, cocoa powder, as well all know, is a must-have in any kitchen as it is very much loved by individuals of all age groups and is also a raw ingredient in many easy dishes such as chocolate custard, cake.