This talk by Douglas Furtek on Tuesday 14th July gave an insight into the potential of the chocolate industry of Sabah. The speaker informed the audience, that Sabah has been the main producer of Malaysian cocoa (the state had been the leading cocoa producer even before it joined Malaysia.) He then went on to highlight the different quality of chocolates (and cocoa drinks) produced by Malaysia, comparing the present Malaysian-made chocolates to those produced by the European countries, Australia, New Zealand as well as Japan. The quality and grades of Malaysian cocoa seed were also discussed, and compared to those produced especially by Ghana. Those present had a gala time tasting the different chocolates (based on the brands offered) and go for the different taste of the respective imported chocolates.
According to Douglas Furtek, the Malaysian Cocoa Board is doing extensive R&D on improving the chocolate quality and diversifying the different types of chocolate output in order to compete for a place in the global market, with the hope that Sabah will one day be the gourmet chocolate capital of the world. The potential for harnessing cocoa crop production at its very own special cocoa research agricultural station, and how Cocoa can be an important contributor to the agro-tourism industry, especially via the business incentives being allocated through the Sabah Economic Corridor and the next Tenth Malaysian Plan.
