Lampung Aims to Strengthen Cocoa Downstream Industry Through Special Economic Zone

The Lampung Provincial Government has stated that efforts to develop a Cocoa Industrial Zone can strengthen the downstream processing of the cocoa commodity in the region.

“The provincial government continues to strengthen the downstream strategy for the agricultural sector through various efforts, one of which is the development of a Cocoa Industrial Zone, which is expected to enhance the added value of the region’s leading commodity while expanding farmers’ welfare,” said Lampung Governor Rahmat Mirzani Djausal in a statement in Bandarlampung on Wednesday.

He noted that so far, the majority of cocoa production is still marketed in the form of raw materials, meaning the added value obtained by farmers has not been optimal.

“Downstream processing must provide direct benefits to the community, especially farmers, through increased selling prices for harvests, job creation, and the growth of processing industries in the region,” he said.

“This industrial development is in line with Lampung Province’s development direction, which is currently encouraging an economic transformation from a raw commodity base towards value-added products,” he added.

Based on data from the Lampung Provincial Government, cocoa production in the province totals 49,605 tonnes, with a planted area of 77,125 hectares and an economic value of IDR 4.36 trillion.

Meanwhile, Philip de Mayer, Managing Director of PT Buhler Indonesia, stated that Lampung Province possesses strong natural capital to become a world-class premium cocoa industry centre. He noted that Lampung cocoa has a stronger and more distinctive flavour profile compared to several other cocoa-producing regions in Indonesia.