Indonesian cacao exports still poor: Minister<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian exporters have to pay US$300,00 per
\nton of cacao exported to the United States as an additional cost
\nfor automatic detention and fumigation due to the cacao's poor
\nquality, Minister of Industry Tunky Ariwibowo said yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration fines exporters of
\nIndonesian cacao for automatic detention and further treatment of
\nthe commodity before it enters U.S. territory,\" said Tunky in his
\nwritten speech read by Director General of Agricultural Industry
\nAnang Lukmana.<\/p>\n
Lukmana opened a five-day chocolate exhibition at the Plaza
\nIndonesia yesterday.<\/p>\n
The FDA automatically detains Indonesian cacao, which is
\ngenerally dried improperly, because it contains insects,
\nresiduals, fungi and low fat content.<\/p>\n
Indonesia produces 280,112 tons of cacao per annum, 80.68
\npercent of which is exported to the United States, Germany, the
\nNetherlands and other European countries.<\/p>\n
Tunky said 75.19 percent of Indonesia's cacao is produced by
\nplantations of farmers who commonly process their products in a
\ntraditional way.<\/p>\n
Tunky suggested that Indonesia maintain the current level of
\nits cacao exports to avoid an oversupply, which may cause a price
\ndecline.<\/p>\n
He estimated that Indonesia's cacao production in the year
\n2000 will reach 400,000 tons per annum.<\/p>\n
Quality<\/p>\n
He also suggested that farmers improve the quality of their
\ncacao by using advanced technology in processing cacao seeds, and
\nthat cacao-based manufacturers diversify their products.<\/p>\n
There are currently 35 companies in the country engaged in the
\nproduction of cocoa and chocolates with a total capacity of
\n165,921 tons per annum.<\/p>\n
Exports of chocolate, cocoa powder, biscuits, bread and candy
\nincreased by 245 percent from 8,317.16 tons in 1989 to 28,695.65
\ntons in 1993. It rose again to 31,220.74 tons in 1994.<\/p>\n
Tunky also reminded that in the era of trade globalization,
\nIndonesian producers of cacao-based goods must meet the
\nrequirements set by the World Trade Organization on the
\nenvironmental and labor aspects of food production, particularly
\nthose related to ecolabeling and manpower welfare.<\/p>\n
Executives of a chocolate company PT Ceres Indonesia and its
\ndistributor PT Nirwana Lestari told the press at the opening
\nceremony of the exhibition yesterday that the sales of chocolate
\non the domestic market is very low.<\/p>\n
\"The tropical climate in Indonesia can make chocolate melt
\neasily,\" said Wigan Margana of Nirwana Lestari.<\/p>\n
He said another problem for the expansion of chocolate exports
\nis the high prices of sugar and milk in the country, thereby
\nmaking the country's chocolate prices uncompetitive on the world
\nmarket.<\/p>\n
He said chocolate contains 40 percent sugar and 15 percent
\nmilk.(kod)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesian-cacao-exports-still-poor-minister-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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