INDONESIA SET TO BECOME WORLD`S LARGEST COCOA PRODUCER

Mamuju, West Sulawesi, 4 Rabi’ul Awwal 1436/26 December 2014 (MINA) – Indonesia is set to become the world largest cocoa producer in 2020 relegating the Ivory Coast currently the largest in the world.

The regional administration of West Sulawesi said they was ready to boost its cocoa production to realize it.

The central government has set aside a large budget of US$96 million for the province to boost its production and improve the quality of the commodity, West Sulawesi Governor Anwar Adnan Saleh said on Tuesday, Antaranews quoted Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting on Thursday.

Currently Indonesia is the world third largest producer of cocoa after the Ivory Coast and Ghana in Africa.

West Sulawesi is the largest producing province in the country.

Anwar said the US$96 million budget would be used  to boost production in three years.

Cocoa plantations in the province are dominated by small farmers.

The government has encouraged development of cocoa processing industry.  for that purpose, export tax has been imposed on cocoa to better guarantee supply in the country.(T/P009/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)