(Communicated by the Foreign Media Adviser to the Ministry of Economy & Industry)

Valentine's Day is also unofficially "international chocolate day." Cocoa beans have been found over the last decades to have impressive health benefits, winning over loving couples as well as singles who find consolation in their sweet delights. Chocolate consumption around the world is on the rise and the people of eastern Asia have only recently discovered chocolate's addictive pleasures. According to estimates, chocolate consumption in these markets has tripled in recent years. Valentine's Day is a day of brisk business for chocolate, with some 5% of annual chocolate sales worldwide taking place on this day alone.
 
Even though the Israeli climate is not suited for growing commercial amounts of cocoa, chocolate production in the country is rising as well as chocolate exports. According to data from the Foreign Trade Administration in the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry, chocolate exports reached around $10 million in 2015. Some 28 companies exported Israeli chocolate to 42 countries around the world. The biggest markets for trading in chocolate were North America and Europe, and there were even exports of $105,000 to Belgium, the "chocolate capital" of the world. Chocolate exports to East Asian countries reached $618,000, with most exports going to Japan.
 
Among European countries, the UK was the largest importer of Israeli chocolate, with imports totaling $1,152,000. France is the next largest with $601,000 and Russia is third with $157,000. In North and South America, the U.S. imported more than $5 million in Israeli chocolate, Canada imported $88,000 and Argentina $15,000. In other surprising figures, South Korea imported $66,000 worth of Israeli chocolate, Egypt $45,000, Brazil $11,000 and Angola $2,000.