"The implementation of Gernas Pro Kakao in Mamuju has yielded a positive result in improving the cocoa farmers` welfare in the district and the province," Mamuju District Head Suhardi Duka said here on Thursday.
He said the program, spearheaded by West Sulawesi Governor Anwar Adnan Saleh, was declared by Vice President M Jusuf Kalla in 2008 and since then it has been progressing well in Mamuju district in specific and West Sulawesi province in general.
Suhardi expressed optimism that the prospect and the potential development of cocoa in Mamuju will continue to progress rapidly because the cocoa production and productivity has been increasing since the program was implemented.
With the Gernas Pro Kakao program in Mamuju, he said the problem of cacao fruit borer pest and vascular streak die-back disease (VSD disease) now slowly begin to be solved optimally.
"Through the program, the local government has slowly begun to optimally eradicate the disturbing pest of cacao fruit borer and VSD disease," Suhardi said.
According to him, the total cocoa development area covered 68,235.52 hectares at 15 sub-districts in Mamuju with the production capacity of 14,571,092 tons per year.
He said that from the Gernas Pro Kakao program in Mamuju, the income of a local cocoa farmer could reach Rp5.7 million per month.
There are around 663 groups of cocoa farmers who are able to have encouraging income following the implementation of the program.
"Central government should continue to maintain the Gernas Pro Kakao program in Mamuju because it has been able to improve the commodity`s production capacity and the farmers income," Suhardi said.
With that program, he expressed hope that Mamuju could improve national cocoa production in West Sulawesi and make Indonesia the world`s largest cocoa producing country.
(Uu.O001/H-NG/A001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
