Periodic Reporting for period 1 - COCOAPRO (COCOA In Vitro PROpagation) Période du rapport: 2016-04-01 au 2016-09-30 Résumé du contexte et des objectifs généraux du projet Boereboom Invitro Portugal has developed an ambitious innovative commercial project that provides the best solution for the cocoa market fragility - a new cocoa planting material from tissue culture. Boereboom goal is to produce rooted cocoa tissue culture plants with higher quality, higher productivity rate, as well as address the challenges that cocoa production has been facing. COCOA in vitro PROpagation meets H2020 objectives in terms of employment, market, environment impact and social development. With this project Boereboom aims to launch an innovative product which is expected to have a global impact, thus becoming a tremendous market success in the European economy. Travail effectué depuis le début du projet jusqu’à la fin de la période considérée dans le rapport et principaux résultats atteints jusqu’à présent This report presents how a crop, traditionally produced by small farmers, with notoriously vulnerability to diseases and pests, can be economically produced on industrial scaled-up.Work performed and main results achieved:1. Market Analysis and StudyEurope is the main cocoa consumerThe cocoa productivity and quality are decreasing due to diseases and low harvest ratesThe producing areas are Africa, South-eastern Asia, Central America and South AmericaBoereboom fills the gap for the cocoa value chainEuropean agro-companies’ prospectionNew demands for cocoa in parapharma, cosmetic and superfood qualification2. Business OpportunityTo empower a new European marketMethodology applicable to other plants/crops3. IPR Study Community Plant Variety Right Plant Variety Protection OfficeInternational Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property RightsThe sterilization protocols of the plants and medium protocols IP4. Business PlanNew business plan with fewer risks Progrès au-delà de l’état des connaissances et impact potentiel prévu (y compris l’impact socio-économique et les conséquences sociétales plus larges du projet jusqu’à présent) Boereboom’s product provides significant progression beyond the state-of-art since no other propagation methodology can provide the same quality characteristics. This project represents the early stages in the development of a new industry for European markets. Boereboom’s new cocoa plant material offers several advantages over its competitors, mainly better performance, large-scale productions of pathogen and disease-free plants; reduced water consumption; year-round availability of plants apart from seasonal constraints. Boereboom's plant stock Boereboom Invitro Portugal_Cocoa in vitro propagation Boereboom Invitro Portugal laboratory