Jakarta (ANTARA News) - PT Nestle Indonesia has no plan to invest in cacao plantation as it is not its core business, Head of Nestle Indonesia`s Public Relations Brata T. Hardjosubroto said here on Tuesday.

"Nestle does not have any plan also to relocate any (of its) factories from Malaysia," he told ANTARA News to clarify a news article saying that the company was planning to invest US$200 million in cacao plantations in Indonesia.

He said Nestle Indonesia had announced its plan to invest US$200 million to build a new factory in Karawang, West Java, to produce Milo chocolate malt drink, Cerelac infant cereals, and Dancow milk powder products.

To meet its cocoa powder requirements, the company had launched the Cocoa Plant project in South and West Sulawesi last July. The project was aimed at helping local farmers to improve their productivity and operational efficiency, Brata said.

Chief of the Indonesian Cocoa Producers Association (Askindo) Zulhefi Sikumbang had earlier said that Nestle SA was planning to build a cocoa processing plant in Indonesia at a cost of US$200 million to gain benefit from the growing market in the country.

The government needed to support Nestle`s investment plan because it would create more jobs, Zulhefi Sikumbang said.
(T. F004/F001/HAJM)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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