"The ministry has succeeded in initiating the establishment of BPDP, which will support the development of sustainable upstream-downstream cocoa (production)," the ministry's Director General of Agro-Industry, Putu Juli Ardika, noted on Wednesday.
According to Ardika, the institution will optimize Indonesia's opportunities in advancing one of the sub-sectors of the food and beverage industry in light of the rising cocoa prices worldwide.
He noted that in 2023, cocoa bean prices reached US$3,280 per ton, with fluctuations throughout last year, peaking at US$10,556 US per ton in December 2024.
The ministry and BPDP also initiated a human resource competency development program to strengthen the supply chain of raw materials for the cocoa sector through Cocoa Doctor.
Last year, the ministry produced 37 Cocoa Doctors who received month-long training at the Mars Cocoa Academy. The Cocoa Doctors have also provided coaching to over 3,700 farmer partners through the Training of Trainers (ToT) programs.
In addition, Ardika said the ministry is developing a program to achieve cocoa self-sufficiency by preparing strategic steps with related partners, including using social forestry land to produce cocoa beans nationwide.
He then highlighted that cocoa is one of the sub-sectors of the food and beverage industry experiencing investment growth, as evidenced by an increase in 20 cocoa processing industry producers engaged in creating cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, cocoa powder, and cocoa cakes.
Meanwhile, Indonesia ranks as the fourth-largest exporter of processed cocoa products globally, with significant market shares in India, the United States, the European Union, China, and Malaysia.
The Industry Ministry noted that Indonesia's export value for these processed products reached more than US$1.2 billion in 2023, contributing to a global market share of 3.92 percent.
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Translator: Ahmad Muzdaffar, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Arie Novarina
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