MOSCOW, April 15 Domestic enterprises produced 161.7 thousand tons of chocolate and cocoa-containing food products in January-February 2024, which is 8.9% more than for the same period in 2023, reports the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation.
“»In January and February of this year, domestic enterprises produced 161.7 thousand tons of chocolate and packaged food products containing cocoa, which is 8.9% more than in the same period in 2023,» the statement says. . 
To be specified, that in general, the production of confectionery products at the beginning of the year increased by 9.2%, to 667.1 thousand tons, including sugary products without cocoa, including white chocolate, by 15%, to 120.2 thousand tons.
Executive Director of the Askond Confectionery Industry Association Vyacheslav Lashmankin identifies two main factors for production growth: an increase in export shipments and stable demand in the domestic market. According to the association, at the end of March, supplies of domestic chocolate abroad increased by more than 5% compared to the same period in 2023.
Moreover, at the end of last year, for the first time in the last five years, an increase in per capita consumption of confectionery products was recorded — by 2.7%, to 26.3 kilograms of sweets per person per year. Today, the Russian confectionery market is the fifth largest in the world, the report says.