Held at Sondoang village in Kalukku sub-district, the dialog with cocoa farmers was part of the vice president`s two-day working visit to West Sulawesi province from Friday to Saturday.
On the occasion, Vice President Boediono was accompanied by Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi, National Education Minister Muhamad Nuh, Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto, State Minister for Disadvantaged Regions Ahmad Helmi Faisal Zaini, Agriculture Vice Minister Bayu Khrisnamukti, and West Sulawesi Governor Anwar Adnan Saleh.
In the dialog, the vice president asserted that hard-work and cooperation from all parties were needed to realize Indonesia`s dream of becoming the world`s leading cocoa producer.
"The cooperation and hard-work to make Indonesia the world`s leading cocoa producer should be based on mutual understanding, because the Cocoa National Movement is not merely planting and improving production," the vice president said.
Boediono said the it was needful for Indonesia to build a more integrated cocoa industry because the cocoa processing industry was done mostly by other countries.
"We should not be satisfied with simply exporting cocoa but we have to be able to build its processing industry to achieve its added value," the vice president said.
In doing so, Boediono said the funds that were originally overseas could return to the state treasury to be used to step up productivity through rehabilitation, revitalization, intensification, and supporting infrastructure development of cocoa industry.
(Uu.O001/HAJM)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
