EL CONSUMO DE CACAO EN VENEZUELA Y EN EL MUNDO DESDE UNA PERSPECTIVA SOSTENIBLE (1960-2014)

With probable origin in the Amazon basin, cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) consumption spread rapidly to the rest of America, Europe and the entire world. Based on official statistics and also bibliographic and digital sources, the aim of this paper is to characterize the consumption of cocoa and its derivatives, both at the world level (from the 1960s until present) and the Venezuelan case (since 1949), by considering its sustainability over time. This is a documentary, descriptive and explanatory research. Main findings point out that, with the exception of Brazil, the world's biggest consumers are not producer countries. Overall, since 1960 there has been a growing trend in world consumption of cocoa and derivatives, as well as a growing investment trend by major multinational companies upstream in the cocoa value chain. Thus, except a few years, world production and grinding have grown steadily between 1960 and 2013. Although Venezuela is a small consumer (compared to world leaders), since the 2000s there has been a growing trend in domestic consumption of cocoa and its derivatives products. Here, artisanal ones (i.e., those with high quality and added value products) have shown a growing importance. This finding is consistent with the observed trend in the international chocolate consumption, particularly in countries with higher purchasing power. Thus, under an increasing -both, world and domestic- demand for taste and differentiated cocoa aroma products scenario, together with the long tradition of Venezuela as a producer of these types of cocoa, there is a real and feasible opportunity for developing the cocoa value chain. In this way, combining their excellent soil and climatic conditions, quality genetic material and good agricultural practices, to designing and implementing development plans based on cocoa must be the key factor to reach territorial development and sustainable consumption in this country. Key words: Good agricultural practices, grinding, sustainable consumption, Theobroma cacao, Venezuela Con origen probable en la cuenca amazonica, el consumo del Theobroma cacao L. se difundio rapidamente al resto de America, de Europa y del mundo. A partir de estadisticas oficiales y otras fuentes bibliograficas y hemerograficas, el objetivo de este articulo es caracterizar el consumo de cacao y de sus productos derivados, tanto al nivel mundial (a partir de la decada de 1960) como de Venezuela (a partir de 1949), desde una perspectiva sostenible. Es