In a press conference held at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Thursday, Sulaiman revealed that Indonesia currently exports 2.8 million tons of tall coconut annually.
He emphasized the potential for downstream processing into products such as coconut milk and virgin coconut oil—products whose value can increase up to 100 times.
“We have done the math. On average, this could generate up to Rp2,400 trillion (approx. US$144.7 billion). Even if we only manage half of that, and assume a 50-fold increase, it could still bring in around Rp1,200 trillion (US$72.4 billion) in foreign exchange. And that’s just from coconut,” Sulaiman stated.
Tall coconut, known for its towering height of 15 to 30 meters and large trunk base, is traditionally used to produce copra, coconut oil, and various other derivative products.
Indonesia’s tall coconut production has reached 33 million tons this year, up from 29 million tons in the previous year. On average, Indonesia exports 2.8 million tons of coconuts annually, with a total export value reaching approximately Rp24 trillion (US$1.45 billion).
The downstreaming strategy will also target other horticultural commodities such as cocoa, cashew, gambier, nutmeg, and pepper. This effort aims to add value to the commodities, create jobs, improve welfare, and reduce unemployment.
As an initial step, the Ministry of Agriculture has begun distributing free seedlings of cocoa, coffee, tall coconut, cashew, and nutmeg to farmers across the country.
“This covers around 800,000 hectares across Indonesia and it is completely free. It is projected to create jobs for 1.6 million people within no more than two years,” Sulaiman stated.
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Translator: Genta Tenri, Kuntum Khaira
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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