West Sulawesi Governor Anwar Adnan Saleh said here Thursday the Philippine and Chinese investors planned to build a cacao processing plant in West Sulawesi this year after the unsuccessful one in the province last year.
He said the Philippine and Chinese investor`s failure because of the practical absence of the needed facilities and infrastructure, especially power sources.
He said the regional administration is now ready to help with investment of the two countries, especially the much needed sources of electricity.
"West Sulawesi will soon build micro-hydro power plants in Bonehau Kalumpang sub-district with a capacity of eight megawatts (MW)," he said.
He said West Sulawesi has been trying to boost its cacao production to 500,000 tons under a national movement program of raising quality and production of cacao.
"The project will occupay 74,000 hectares of cacao plants from the 185,000 hectares of farmer`s cacao under a program of rehabilitation, extensification and rejuvenation of cacao crops," he said.
The program also includes the development of 8.1 million of superior cocoa seeds called somatic embriogenesis (SE) on the land of the growers and the improvement of the crops from 500 to 900 kilograms per hectare.(*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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