As one of the countries producing cocoa beans, Indonesia already has 20 companies processing cocoaJakarta (ANTARA) - The majority of Indonesian-processed cocoa products were exported and contributed US$1.13 billion in foreign exchange in 2018.
Indonesia exported 85 percent of its total production of cocoa or 328,329 tons, last year and marketed the rest totaling 58,341 tons of cocoa domestically. The cocoa processing industry is one of the prioritized sectors, according to the 2015-2035 National Industrial Development Master Plan (RIPIN), the government has stated.
"Moreover, the cocoa processing industry is also part of the food and beverage industry which is a mainstay of the Making Indonesia 4.0 roadmap. This sector involves a lot of small and medium industries," Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto said in a statement Tuesday.
The development of the national downstream processing industry is directed to produce cocoa or cocoa powder, cocoa fat or cocoa, chocolate food and beverages, supplements, cocoa-based functional foods, as well as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, the minister emphasized.
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Indonesia is currently the third-largest producer of processed cocoa in the world after the Netherlands and Ivory Coast.
The national cocoa processing industry has produced cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, cocoa cake, and cocoa powder.
"As one of the countries producing cocoa beans, Indonesia already has 20 companies processing cocoa. We continue to encourage increased utilization, while also spurring the productivity of domestic cocoa beans to maintain the supply of raw materials," Hartarto noted.
Based on the data of the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), Indonesia ranks sixth among the producers of cocoa beans in the world after Ivory Coast, Ghana, Ecuador, Nigeria and Cameroon with production volumes reaching 220,000 tons in 2018.
"To develop the cocoa processing industry and increase its added value, the government encourages the development of the downstream cocoa industry, which is cocoa and chocolate-based food," Hartarto said.
One of the measures is to support the promotion of Indonesian processed cocoa and chocolate products to increase domestic consumption.
Furthermore, the cocoa processing industry is expected to continue to grow and develop, because its products have become part of the current lifestyle.
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Translator: Sella Panduarsa Gareta/Yashint
Editor: Sri Haryati
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