Gobel Group Develops Gorontalo SEZ and AGIT as Eastern Indonesia Processing Hub
Gobel Group is pushing for Gorontalo to become a processing hub for Eastern Indonesia through the development of the Gorontalo Special Economic Zone (KEK) and the PT Anggrek Gorontalo International Terminal (AGIT). The plan is part of the Gorontalo 2051 Vision initiated by the company to accelerate regional economic development, attract investment, create jobs, strengthen connectivity, and promote sustainable development.
The KEK Gorontalo is being built with a Green and Halal Agrominapolitan concept, emphasising industrialisation based on local resources. The zone is designed to facilitate the processing of agricultural, plantation, fishery, and livestock commodities so they are not merely sold as raw materials. Gorontalo’s flagship products such as corn, cocoa, coconut, and cattle are targeted for processing into value-added goods. Examples include processing coconut into frozen coconut milk, coconut oil, margarine, cocofiber, and activated carbon briquettes, while corn can be developed into animal feed, corn flour, glucose syrup, and bioethanol. This downstream approach aims to create a circular economy that maximises the use of local resources, ensuring more economic value circulates within Gorontalo and directly benefits the community.
According to a study on the KEK Gorontalo development prepared with a team of experts from the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), the zone’s development is projected to create an additional 17,320 jobs compared to a scenario without the KEK. Other projections indicate that the industrial sector in Gorontalo could absorb more than 129,000 workers by 2051, and the zone’s development is expected to reduce the unemployment rate by 1.12 per cent.
Complementing the KEK, AGIT is being developed through a public-private partnership (KPBU) scheme as an international port with a smart green port concept. This infrastructure is intended to connect value-added products from Gorontalo with national and global markets. AGIT is expected to improve distribution efficiency, expand market access, attract investment, and strengthen the competitiveness of the region’s flagship commodities. The port’s strategic role is evident from its export activity; throughout 2025, 36,000 tonnes of molasses were exported to South Korea via AGIT, with previous shipments reaching the Philippines, Australia, Somalia, and Malaysia. Additionally, 64,000 tonnes of wood pellets have been exported to Japan and South Korea through the facility.
Gobel Group also highlighted the importance of an ecosystem connecting farmers and fishermen with technology, infrastructure, downstream industries, efficient logistics, and sustainable market access. To expand market reach, the company has established a farm-to-factory collaboration with Châteraisé, which has resulted in the export of cocoa from assisted farmers processed into chocolate products for the Japanese market. Rachmat Gobel stated that the development of the Gorontalo KEK, AGIT, and global market access is an effort to create added value, open employment opportunities, increase the income of farmers and fishermen, and deliver tangible benefits to the community.