The finished product of this cacao variety, called Ransiki chocolate, has also been accepted by markets in England, thus there is no doubt about the superiority of this variety.
Manokwari, W Papua (ANTARA) - West Papua’s Provincial Center for Agricultural Instrument Standard Application (BPSIP) has registered 20 new superior varieties of cacao from Ransiki Sub-district, South Manokwari District, in the Agriculture Ministry.

Head of the West Papua BPSIP Aser Rouw said here on Friday that the new varieties have been developed by the center in collaboration with the West Papua Provincial Food Crops, Horticulture, and Plantation Office.

"We named one of these varieties Waterpauw cacao," he informed.

He said Waterpauw cacao has shown good resilience and crop results, with the yield reaching two tons per hectare.

"The finished product of this cacao variety, called Ransiki chocolate, has also been accepted by markets in England, thus there is no doubt about the superiority of this variety," according to the West Papua BPSIP.

Rouw said that BPSIP will prepare to develop the variety further in the future.

Later, the 20 new West Papuan native cacao varieties will be simultaneously and nationally launched by the Agriculture Ministry.

"By registering the new varieties, we do not need to procure (cacao) seeds for community assistance from other regions anymore since we legally own our own varieties,” Rouw stated.

Acting Governor of West Papua Paulus Waterpauw welcomed the development of the new cacao varieties.

He said he expects the commodity to become the province’s superior product in the future.

"I am pleased with this research, which has produced various superior varieties. We will use them to develop cacao plantations in West Papua, in accordance with the President's (Joko Widodo’s) expectations that each province must have a prominent (economic) sector," he added.

The acting governor also expressed his gratitude over the naming of a new variety after him.

"I think it is the right of the inventor to name (the variety) as they please. And I thank you for using my name for one of the new varieties developed by BPSIP," he added.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Indonesia’s cacao production reached 667,300 tons in 2022. The figure showed a decline of 3.04 percent compared to the previous year’s production of 688,200 tons.

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Translator: Tri Santoso, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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