Government prepares cocoa downstreaming and farmer plantation rejuvenation

The government is currently implementing a cocoa downstreaming programme to increase value-added production, alongside a rejuvenation programme for smallholder cocoa plantations to boost productivity, which has declined due to ageing trees.

Ebi Rulianti, Director of Plantation Seedlings at the Ministry of Agriculture, stated that as a global cocoa producer, Indonesia’s position has dropped drastically from 3rd in the world to 7th, with production currently at 200,000 tonnes.

In a statement in Jakarta on Friday, she explained that the cause is the declining productivity of many plants due to their old age. Domestic cocoa productivity averages 700-800 kilograms (kg) per hectare (ha), whereas in other countries, it reaches 1.5 tonnes per hectare.

Consequently, she noted that the government has established a cocoa downstreaming programme for 2025–2027, targeting 247,260 hectares of farmer cocoa land to ensure the supply of raw materials for downstream industries.

In 2025, the programme will involve the expansion of cocoa plantation areas by approximately 200 ha and the rejuvenation of 4,066 ha. In 2026, the government targets an expansion of approximately 71,722 ha and rejuvenation of 102,488 ha.

For 2027, the target is 59,974 ha, consisting of 19,700 ha of expansion and 40,274 ha of rejuvenation.

As part of this downstreaming programme, the government will provide assistance in the form of 1,000 seedlings per hectare and labour wage subsidies.