70% of cocoa is cultivated from West Africa nations while 30% the rest of the world.

22% of a fresh cocoa pod is the cocoa beans while 68% is is the husk or shell. The vean is exclusively traded in the US and Europe stock markets countries which do not have cocoa plantations and while they house the billions made in cocoa bean trading, the farmers in Africa as in Asia are dying in abject poverty. As of 2014 just 1% of cocoa processing companies in Europe accepted fair trade on cocoa which means the child labor and exploitation in cocoa plantation gies unchecked. Cocoa seed is used to produce cocoa butter, and cocoa powder from which chocolate bars and cocoa liqueur are made. To produce 1kg of chocolate, 600 has to be processed to desired content. Chocolate taste good but those who produce these cocoa beans from the farms benefit nothing from this multibillion trade.

A look at the cocoa pod shell

The cocoa pod shell is the most constituent of the cocoa pod 68% of the pod. These shells are a rich source of PECTIN. Of 100kg dried shells, 12kg pectin can be extracted. Pectin has very wide relevance and application than the cocoa bean. Pectin is used in the food industry as a thickening agent, gelling agent, and colloidal stabilizer. It's used as an ingredient in production of jams, jellies, preserves,flavored candies, artificial cherries, edible coatings and beverages. It's also used in the pharmaceutical industry: to reduce blood cholesterol by 13% in two weeks of daily consumption, used in treatment of lead and mercury poisoning, use to control bleeding, used to control over-eating disorders, used as a binder in tablet formulation, and agent in controlled drug delivery. Also in biotechnology and biomedicine it's used to manufacture tissue-engineering scaffolds, and wound healing patches.

Of environmental benefit, pectin as a natural biotic polymer can be used to produce biodegradable plastics, an alternative and environmentally sustainable source for plastic which requires no use of toxic chemicals in the resins manufacturing.

The cocoa husk although is wasted byproduct of cocoa farming, considering its multiple uses, can be of a more financial benefit to the farmers than the cocoa bean.

Cocoa husk could help reduce climate change and make our world better as biodegradable plastic would replace synthetic practices which take over 400 years to degrade pollutes the oceans and the environment.

Setting up a pectin extraction plant in cocoa cultivating nations in West Africa, Asia, Brazil and other nations is the right thing to do. As an industrial chemist, I bring my expert knowledge on board in this partnership. Waiting for you nature conserver, you investor, you fair trader, for you adventurer.

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