Prospect of Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) Cultivation in the Environmental Conditions of Gazipur, Bangladesh

Cocoa is a newly introduced plant in Bangladesh but globally recognized as a cash crop because it is used as a raw material for chocolate. This article aimed to introduce the cocoa plant with cultivation practices to the local environmental conditions in the Gazipur district in Bangladesh. The study of cocoa plants concerning morphology, extracting cocoa beans from ripened pods, and producing cocoa powder from fermented beans were investigated. The investigation revealed that cocoa plants were grown successfully under the climatic conditions in Gazipur. The planted cocoa tree stood at about four meters in height, and it started producing fruits five years after being planted on the plantation. Data was collected from seven ripened pods of a cocoa plant. The mature yellow pod was found to average 13.27cm in length and 8.63cm in diameter. The average pod weight was found 294.14g. Each pod contains 42 beans, which become cocoa beans after completing the fermentation and drying process. Each pod produced an average of 24.73g dry seeds and 19.30g cocoa powder. The seedling production was successfully done in the local environmental conditions. The study concluded that prospective cocoa plants might be grown well in Bangladesh.