The Ecuador Times reports that the country held their first Banana and Cacao Summit, bringing together the two most important non-oil export commodities for the country.
The Expo, put on by the organizers, Expoplaza, was well attended, with over 50 companies on show at the trade fair.
Between the two commodities, the country earned $2.8bn in revenue, according to numbers from the Central Bank of Ecuador. Unfortunately, the numbers were not separately identified, but in 2019, the World Bank noted their export value of cocoa, to be $668m, making it the 4th largest cocoa exporter in the world that year.
Interestingly, the biggest recipient of the cocoa beans from Ecuador is Indonesia, a large producer in their own right.
Additionally, 5% of the country’s rural population works in the Cocoa sector.
The event was held at the Guayaquil Convention Center, and the Cocoa element was supported by the Association of Producers of Fine Cacao and of Aroma (Aprocafa).
The organisers believe that around 4,000 people attended the event.
