Belarusian food industry enterprises increased purchases of cocoa powder by a third at the exchange auction

For 10 months of 2026, 190 tons of cocoa powder were sold at exchange trading for the domestic market, which is 36 percent more than in January-October 2025. Details sb.by reported in the press service of BUCE.

Almost the entire volume of products was purchased by Belarusian enterprises of the confectionery and milk processing industries. At the same time, compared to last year, the pool of trading participants who regularly make exchange transactions with cocoa powder has significantly increased. So, if in 2025 there were 14 such organizations, then in 2026 there were 21.

At BUCE, increased interest in the exchange mechanism for purchasing cocoa powder is associated with the desire of domestic enterprises to optimize costs and reduce the cost of finished products against the background of rising world prices for cocoa beans and their products.

BUTB spokesman Roman Yaniv said:

- Cocoa powder is sold as part of the trading session “Food raw materials, groceries, fruits and vegetables”, and according to the results of January-October, it entered the top 10 most popular commodity positions in this segment of the exchange market. In addition to the wide selection of suppliers accredited on the exchange, and competition between them, the growth of purchases of cocoa powder contributed to the ability to request samples of goods before bidding for research. As a result of such prequalification, buyers receive a short list of sellers who are ready to deliver products that fully meet the quality parameters specified in the purchase application.

The next bidding of cocoa powder with the provision of samples is scheduled for November 27. The estimated volume of purchase is 20 tons.

According to BUCE, in value terms, the turnover of the direction “Food raw materials, groceries, fruits and vegetables” increased 1.8 times – from 88 million rubles in January-October 2025 to 158 million rubles in the same period of 2026. The largest amount of exchange transactions fell on complex food additives. The share of this commodity group in the total sales of food raw materials in the domestic market was 12 percent.