There are two main species of cocoa, criollo and forastero. Criollo is sometimes called the price of cocoas as it’s a very high quality grade of cocoa with exceptional flavor and aroma. A third type of cocoa is Trinitario hybrid or across between the main species. 

Uganda’s cocoa export volumes are projected to grow nine per cent, as trees planted a decade ago have matured. Favourable weather has also contributed to the growth.

According to the International Cocoa Organisation, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and Ghana supply about 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa.

Philip Betts, the managing director at Esco Uganda Ltd, an exporter of organic cocoa, “although cocoa production is growing, it is at a rate slower than the growth in global demand”. Uganda has about 21,000 hectares of land under cocoa cultivation, mostly in the west and central regions. The crop supports an estimated 10,000 households across the country.