Sheinbaum Announces $4.6 Million Investment for New Chocolate Plant in Tabasco

The federal government will invest 80 million pesos (approximately USD $4.6 million) to build a new chocolate processing plant in the municipality of Comalcalco, Tabasco. The goal is to strengthen the cacao production chain and improve the livelihoods of small and medium-scale growers, President Claudia Sheinbaum announced during a visit to Villahermosa.

Sheinbaum explained that the project is designed to meet three central objectives: promoting healthy nutrition for consumers, ensuring fair prices for producers, and improving the well-being of families who depend on cacao cultivation—an economic and cultural symbol of the region.

“The goal is for families to make a good living from cacao production and processing, and for selling their products through the Alimentación del Bienestar program to help guarantee strong income for families in Tabasco,” Sheinbaum said.

In addition to announcing the investment, the President inspected progress on the Macuspana–Escárcega highway and the construction of the General Hospital of Cárdenas, projects she said are part of the government’s Comprehensive Development Strategy for southern Mexico.

She emphasized that these work projects aim to reduce long-standing regional disparities and strengthen infrastructure, mobility, healthcare access, and economic opportunities in the southeast.

The President reaffirmed that developing the region remains a priority for her administration, adding that the new chocolate plant represents a key step in boosting local value-added production and ensuring that wealth generated from cacao remains in the hands of the communities that produce it.