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Chocolate production in Russia rises by 8.9% in January - February — Agriculture Ministry

The production of sweets as a whole increased at the beginning of this year by 9.2% and reached 667,100 tons

MOSCOW, April 15. /TASS/. Russian producers in January - February 2024 increased the production of chocolate and packaged products containing cocoa by 8.9% year-on-year to 161,700 tons, the Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement.

"In January - February 2024, local companies produced 161,700 tons of chocolate and packaged food products containing cocoa, which is 8.9% more than in the same period in 2023," the ministry said.

The production of sweets as a whole increased at the beginning of this year by 9.2% and reached 667,100 tons. In particular, the output of sugar products without cocoa, including white chocolate, increased by 15% to 120,200 tons.

Vyacheslav Lashmankin, Executive Director of the Association of Confectionery Industry Enterprises Askond, whose estimates are cited by the Ministry of Agriculture, identified two main factors for the growth in production, including increased export shipments and stable demand in the domestic market.

In turn, supplies of domestic chocolate abroad at the end of March increased by over 5% year-on-year, according to Askond. Lashmankin noted that this also had a positive impact on the dynamics of production of chocolate and chocolate confectionery in January and February.

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