In a meeting with cocoa farmers for a dialog in Mamuju district as part of his working visit to West Sulawesi province on Friday, Vice President Boediono said hard-work and cooperation of all relevant 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 producing country should be based on mutual understanding, because the Cocoa National Movement not only raise the crops but improving production as well," the vice president said.
He pointed out that the dream of making Indonesia the world`s number one cocoa producer can be achieved with cooperation based on mutual understanding between the government, the local administrations, farmers and other relevant parties.
"The dream requires hard work from all of us, including the Cocoa National Movement that was established in 2008, and in the future, West Sulawesi will become a national mainstay producer," Boediono said.
The Vice President called on all parties, particularly banks to support the province as a national mainstay producer of cocoa.
"With the cooperation of banks, the certification of cocoa lands to support production can be done," the vice president said.
The Vice President added, the seriousness of the government to continue the National Cocoa Movement, among others, will be done by raising the budget.
"We should not be satisfied with simply exporting cocoa but we have to build the processing industries to achieve added value," the vice president said.
In doing so, Boediono said the funds that were originally overseas could be returned to the state treasury to be used to step up productivity through rehabilitation, revitalization, intensification, and supporting infrastructure of cocoa industries.
Meanwhile, West Sulawesi Governor Anwar Adnan Saleh said the largest cocoa producers are in Sulawesi island, especially West Sulawesi province.
"Indonesia is the world`s second largest cocoa producer after the Ivory Coast," Governor Anwar said, adding that nationally Sulawesi contributed 72 percent of cocoa products while West Sulawesi province 24 percent.
The governor said 71 percent of Sulawesi people`s welfare came from cocoa commodity because 64 percent of its people were cocoa farmers.
In the dialog, the vice president also asked the farmers to work with the relevant parties to create superior cacao seeds resistant to plant pests.
"Research to develop cacao seeds are also important," he said.
In addition, the farmers should also be able to utilize the value added from cocoa development.
"The National Movement is not just for cocoa plants and increase production, but also how we create the benefits of value added. For example, by building a cocoa processing industry," Boediono noted.
Meanwhile, West Sulawesi Governor Anwar said West Sulawesi is the largest producer of cocoa in Indonesia.
"Indonesia is the second largest cocoa producer after the Ivory Coast. Sulawesi`s cocoa production contributed 72 percent and West Sulawesi contributed 24 percent," he said.
Anwar added, cocoa has been contributing to the welfare of the Sulawesi people.
"Some 71 percent of the people`s prosperity derived from cocoa. Of the 80 percent farmers in Sulawesi, 64 percent are cocoa farmers," he noted.
The governor also said in Mamuju recently that he remained optimistic Indonesia would become the world`s largest coca producer and exporter.
In mid-2008, the government announced a large national program of revitalization of the cocoa industry, known as Gernas Pro Kakao.
"Since the announcement of Gernas Pro Kakao program, I remain optimistic that West Sulawesi is able to turn Indonesia into the largest cocoa producing country in the world," Governor Anwar Adnan said in Mamuju.
Having the ability to produce cocoa beans in large quantities, the governor said Indonesia was ready to supersede the Ivory Coast as the world`s largest producer and exporter.
In the last 20 years Indonesia had been the world`s third largest cocoa producer after Ivory Coast and Ghana, contributing export earnings more than US $1.4 billion per year.
In the late 1980s raising cocoa began seriously in the regions of Sulawesi island, and considerably lifted the fortune of cocoa-growing communities over the next two decades.
He said the program was intended to replace up to 70,000 hectares of cocoa, rehabilitate another 140,000 hectares and intensify farming on 300,000 hectares - bringing the total planted area to around 900,000 hectares of productive cocoa.
The West Sulawesi governor said Ivory Coast at present was the world`s largest cocoa producer while Indonesia the third, but he was optimistic that the latter will be the first in the next few years.
He said West Sulawesi provincial government planned to step up cocoa production every year but it was hampered by the limited amount of budget from the central government.
In 2009 West Sulawesi produced 40,000 tons of cocoa but the production declined in 2010 following the reduction of budget from the central government.
According to the West Sulawesi governor, 80 percent of national cocoa production came from eastern Indonesian regions while the rest from other provinces such as Bali, East Nusa Tenggara, and Aceh.
(T.O001/H-NG/P003)
Reporter: Otniel Tamindael
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
