Without squirrels, George Matthew's attempts to become a cocoa bean producer might have failed.

His farming career began in the 1970s, when he inherited a rubber plantation in the southern Indian state of Kerala and managed it while working as a doctor.

It was not a good time to inherit a rubber plantation and falling rubber prices meant it continued to lose money. So, ten years ago, Dr Matthew decided to experiment with cocoa trees in the hope they would raise some funds to support the rest of the farm.

He bought some saplings and planted them. It didn't go well.

"It wasn't that successful - most of the saplings died," he said.

Squirrels seem to make the situation worse by grabbing the cocoa pods and eating them.

But these raids had an unexpected benefit - cocoa seeds were scattered across the farm.

“All the scattered seeds quickly grew into plants that were healthier and stronger than the saplings I planted,” Dr Mathew said.

“The trick is to plant the seeds,” he realized.

Today, Mr Matthews has 6,000 cocoa trees on his 50 acres.

"I think it's the best decision I've ever made," he said.

Although India has several areas with suitable climatic conditions for the growth of cocoa trees, it produces only 1% of the world's cocoa beans.

At present, global production is mainly dominated by West Africa, with production in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana Accounts for more than half of world annual production.

Indian growers can supply only a quarter of the beans needed by Indian chocolate and other confectionery manufacturers.

"The challenge is that it's grown on very small, scattered farms, so it doesn't get the attention that cocoa deserves," said Renny Jacob, chairman of India Cocoa, which is more than 30 Year.

In particular, he noted that Indian farmers are not good at handling the beans after harvesting them. Once removed from the pod, the beans undergo a fermentation process on the farm, which can have a huge impact on their flavor.

“Cocoa fermentation is a key process in chocolate production, converting raw cocoa beans into a form suitable for chocolate making,” said Sarin Partrick, CEO of India Cocoa.

"This complex process involves multiple stages and the activity of various microorganisms, which contribute to the flavor, aroma and color of the coffee bean," he said.

To improve the quantity and quality of cocoa production, the government has launched several initiatives.

It is investing in plans to develop hybrid cocoa plants that are more productive than existing varieties.

There are also programs to train farmers in the latest pulse cultivation and processing techniques.

"There is a huge opportunity for Indian farmers to enter and benefit from cocoa farming," said Dr. Femina, who works in the government department responsible for developing cocoa production.

Businesses are also investing in new cocoa tree varieties.

Dr Minimol JS, who heads cocoa research at the Kerala Agricultural University, is working with Cadbury to develop hybrid cocoa trees.

In the project's orchards, existing high-performance varieties are crossed with exotic varieties.

So far, the program has produced 15 new varieties.

"This is India's first hybrid, disease-resistant seed," she said.

"These seeds are drought-tolerant varieties and can even withstand temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius, which is usually impossible," she added.

Hybrid breeds are also much more productive than traditional breeds.

“The global average yield is 0.25 kilograms per tree per year.

"In Kerala, the yield per tree is 2.5 kilograms per year. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, we even get four to five kilograms per tree per year," she said.

Cocoa bean production in India has increased significantly. This year's output reached 110,000 tons, an increase of 40% over 2015. But this is still not enough to meet the needs of local chocolate and confectionery manufacturers.

The Indian Cocoa Board estimates that industrial demand is growing at 15% annually.

Founded in 2019, Kocoatrait is one of the new generation of Indian chocolate makers.

The company, based in the east coast city of Chennai, uses only Indian cocoa beans.

One reason is that locally sourced coffee beans have a much smaller carbon footprint than beans shipped from other continents.

In addition, Nitin Chordia, founder of Kocoatrait, said that Indian beans are cheaper than imported beans and have a unique taste.

Mr Jodia also runs an agricultural school where he demonstrates to farmers the latest innovations in fermenting and drying pulses.

“We have been working hard to improve the post-harvest practices of Indian cocoa farmers,” he said.

Indian farmers need to produce higher quality pulses, he added.

“We cannot compete with international players in the bulk cocoa sector,” he said.

Despite the improvements, Indian producers still have a long way to go.

"India has started to gain traction in the specialty cocoa space over the past decade...but it will be several years before all Indian specialty cocoa reaches the stage of large-scale international recognition."

Back in Kerala, Dr Mathew reflects on his ten years as a cocoa farmer.

"It's a tricky plant," he said. "Last year I had no harvest. So no farmer can rely solely on cocoa - they have to plant other trees as well."

Despite the challenges, he remains optimistic. “The future is bright and the need is huge.”

“I have been contacted by a multinational company to sell my product to them so I will make a good profit.”