CONSUMPTION OF COCOA.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 605, 24 September 1913, Page 3

CONSUMPTION OF COCOA.

An estimate of the world's produc tion and consumption of cocoa has been icanned by a German publication, the "Gordian." The output of the producing countries during 1912, according to that journal, amounted to 230,000 metric tons, as against 244,238 in 1911 and 219,562 in 1910. The total for last year is i, preliminary figure. The largest contributor to the world's needs is Bhown to be the Gold Coast of Afric2, which last year exported 39,500 metric tons, that aggregate being a slight decrease on the 1911 shipments, which were 40,357 metric tons Ecuador supplied last year about 35,500 metric tons, San Thome a like quantity, and Brazil about 5000 tons less. As far as could be ascertained the United States headed the list of consumers of cocoa, having in 1912 imported for horrjfl use 67,000 metric tons out of an aggregate calculated at 250,000 metric tons for all countries. Germany came next with 55,100 metric tons. The United Kingdom lagged behind in the third place with imports of only 28,100 metric tons; then followed Prance with 26,900, the Netherlands with 24,900 and Switzerland with 10,300 metirc tons. Australians, aparently do not "take eocca" to any great extent. The quantities imported into the Commonwealth and New Zealand are bracketed at 1600 metric tons last year, 1300 in 1911, and 1137 in 1910. This part of the world, in fact, comes third last in the schedule of cocoa consumers. The stocks of raw cocoa which remained on hand in the importing countries are given as 104.500 metricltona at the end of 1912, 126,000 twelve months eariler, and 1u9,216 metric tons at the close of 1910, but these totals do not include the stocks in either the United States, the Netherlands, Belgium, or Canada, «nd consequently can be taken as giving little more than a proportion of the supplies held at the times indicated.