LA CADENA DE PRODUCCIÓN DEL CACAO EN ECUADOR: RESILIENCIA EN LOS DIFERENTES ACTORES DE LA PRODUCCIÓN

Abstract

CACAO IS ONE OF THE TRADITIONAL ECUADORIAN EXPORT PRODUCTS AND IN THE LAST THREE YEARS ECUADOR HAS BEEN THE THIRD LARGEST PRODUCER IN THE WORLD. SEVERAL FACTORS SUCH AS CLIMATE CHANGE, HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF CADMIUM (CD) AND THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC OF COVID-19 ARE INFLUENCING THE ECUADORIAN COCOA PRODUCTION CHAIN. BASED ON AN ANALYSIS OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PRODUCTION AND MARKETING CHAIN OF COCOA IN ECUADOR, THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TYPES OF COCOA, THE TYPES OF PRODUCERS, IT IS SHOWN THAT THIS COUNTRY HAS GREAT POTENTIAL TO MAINTAIN PRODUCTION STANDARDS. ALTHOUGH SOME PREVIOUS PLANS HAVE BEEN PROPOSED FOR THE COMPETITIVE IMPROVEMENT OF ECUADORIAN COCOA, BASED ON THE PRODUCTION CHAIN, THESE PLANS HAVE NOT ANALYZED THE FARMER'S PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENT. IN THIS WORK, FIVE LINES OF ACTION BASED ON: IMPROVING THE RURAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE FARMER, PROMOTING ASSOCIATIVITY AND COOPERATIVISM, IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY AND CONSUMPTION IN THE NATIONAL MARKET, CONSOLIDATING THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET AND RESEARCH ARE PROPOSED AS LINES OF ACTION. IT IS IMPERATIVE TO ENGAGE THESE AXES IN AN ACTION AIMED AT PROVIDING GREATER RESILIENCE IN THE ECUADORIAN COCOA PRODUCTION CHAIN