NEXT GOVT CALLED ON TO DEVELOP NATION'S CACAO POTENTIAL

By Andi Abdussalam
    
    Jakarta, Sept 17 (Antara) - Cocoa stakeholders from regions that produce cocoa across Sulawesi Island had gathered in Makassar for a three-day meeting since last Sunday to observe the Indonesian Cocoa Day and discuss cocoa's quality improvement and development.
        Cocoa businesses, government officials, and farmers' representatives, who attended the meeting in South Sulawesi provincial capital Makassar, had come from cocoa-producing provinces of South Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, and Central Sulawesi. These provinces contribute about 70 percent to the country's cocoa production of about 800 thousand tons per year.
         "The aim of the meeting is to seek a formula on how to increase the quality of our growers' cacao products," Director General of Quality and Standard Control of the Ministry of Agriculture Gardjita Budi stated in Makassar on Tuesday.
         Minister of Agriculture Suswono, meanwhile, stressed the importance of improving the quality of the country's cocoa, which is one of the nation's mainstay products. He supported the activities of the Cacao National Movement (Gernas), which aimed at helping improve cacao plantations and the quality of cocoa production.
        "Indonesia is the world's third largest cocoa producer and, therefore, this mainstay product needs special attention from the government. The next government has to support the Gernas," Suswono said in Makassar on Tuesday while speaking on the sidelines of the Cacao Day, which had been highlighted with celebrations since Sunday.

 
         During a talk show focusing on the issue of the quality of cocoa, the organizers had popularized the minister of agriculture's Regulation No. 67/2014 on Quality of Cocoa and Cacao Bean Fermentation.
         The minister noted that the Gernas movement had achieved only 30 percent of its target so far, and in order to realize it completely, Gernas required budgetary support as well as a political will that the next government must display.
         In the past, Gernas had received Rp1 trillion worth of funds to help its cause in the cacao-producing regions. However, with the financial support it has received so far, Gernas has only been able to achieve 30 percent of its target of improving the cacao plantation areas that are spread over 1.8 million hectares across the country.
          The national movement program to improve cacao bean quality and productivity will be continued in West Sulawesi Province until 2016, to make the commodity the main income earner for the province.
         Acting secretary of the West Sulawesi provincial administration Nuralam Thahir said the government will set aside a budget for pro-Gernas to improve the welfare of cacao growers. Intensification and rehabilitation of cacao plantations will be increased.
         He said the legislative body and the provincial government have agreed to continue the program to revitalize cacao plantations.
        Basically, under the program, cacao-producing regions should be given priority.
        "Therefore, production centers in several provinces catering to a mainstay commodity, such as cocoa, must be given priority in the future," Minister Suswono said.
         This is important to improve the quality of farmers' products, thus enabling them to enjoy added values.
         According to Director General of Quality and Standard Control Gardjita Budi, many growers still sold their products in the form of raw materials or non-fermented cacao beans, with a lower sale value compared to fermented beans. Therefore, for this purpose, the agriculture minister has issued a regulation on the quality requirements and fermentation of cacao beans.
         The regulation is aimed at providing quality guarantee for the products of the country's cacao production centers. With standards, only cocoa products with grade 1-3 based on the Indonesian National Standard could be exported.
         "So, we will aim at producing grade 3 products. Growers are forced to produce better quality cocoa after being given guidance on planting and processing matters," the director general said.
        In the field, fermentation service and cacao bean sale units have been established. Quality guarantee certification can be given to this unit.
        "Thus, there is no need to check the products because it is already produced based on the standard operation procedures," he said.
        However, industries have not yet provided adequate assistance and guidance to cacao farmers, causing them to be still unable to thrive well.
        "Apart from the government, industries also have the obligation to provide optimal assistance and guidance to cacao farmers, as both are mutually dependent," Bambang, head of South Sulawesi's Agriculture and Horticulture Service, meanwhile, stated.
         He noted that from the corporate social responsibility (CSR) aspect, industries must be encouraged to provide assistance to farmers, so that the need for improved quality and quantity of cacao production could be met.
         Sony Satari of the Indonesian Cacao Companies Association stated that not all the firms with the CSR could offer full assistance to farmers in the field. He pointed out that assistance, however, does not always necessarily mean financial assistance. It can also be in the form of training and so on.
         He said that with the issuance of the agriculture minister's regulation, the farmers' production is expected to improve, and in the future, Indonesia will not have to import the commodity to meet its needs.
         "So far, we have been importing cocoa from Ghana for local mixture to achieve the required flavor and standards of processed cocoa," he added.
         Chairman of South Luwu's Cacao Farmers' Association in Reso Pammase, H Cinding, stated that farmers have conducted cacao bean fermentation.
         On Sunday, the cacao stakeholders observed the Indonesian Cacao Day, because this province has played an important role in national cacao production.
         "We have organized the function in South Sulawesi because over 70 percent of Indonesia's cacao production is contributed by provinces in Sulawesi. South Sulawesi has contributed the largest portion of the 70 percent production," Agriculture Deputy Minister Rusman Heriawan stated.
         "Some 94 percent of cacao products are produced by farmers, not by large plantation companies. This means that the development of the commodity directly concerns small farmers' interest," the deputy minister added.***2***