BLUE Phoenix Group Limited owner Darius Singh said Fiji must position itself as a serious player in the global cocoa industry, with international prices hitting record highs and demand outpacing supply.
Mr Singh told attendees present at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Summit in Labasa on Saturday that cocoa prices have surged to around $22,000 (a tonne), driven largely by disease and climate challenges in West Africa.
While the market may stabilise, Singh said prices were still expected to remain strong around $15,000 a tonne.
“This has created a huge opportunity for us to capitalise on,” he said.
Currently, he said, Fiji produced only a fraction of the world’s cocoa supply, far behind Pacific neighbours Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
However, he believes Fiji has one major advantage: geography.
“A disease outbreak devastating crops in West Africa has left buyers scrambling. This puts Fiji in a strategic position.”
He said his team had spoken to more than 50 premium chocolate makers in New Zealand and Australia but were sad to hear that they do not get their supply from Fiji.
“I asked them: Where is Fiji in your cocoa supply chain? The answer was nowhere.”
He said inconsistent quality and lack of flavour were the biggest complaints from buyers who had tried Fijian chocolate.
“Growing cocoa isn’t the challenge anymore, it’s about processing it to world-class standards.”
Note: This article was first published on the print version of the Fiji Times dated June 18, 2025
