Makassar to host cocoa conference

The Jakarta Post, Makassar, South Sulawesi

As many as 383 businesspeople, industry experts and farmers from across the world will participate in the Third International Cocoa Conference being held on Oct. 24 and Oct. 25 in Makassar, South Sulawesi, organizers said.

The province is the country's main cocoa producer, and Indonesia is the world's second largest producer of the commodity after the Ivory Coast.

Abdul Halim Razak, the head of the conference's organizing committee, said here on Tuesday the 383 participants included 120 overseas citizens from the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia.

They are expected to arrive in Makassar one or two days before the conference, Abdul said during a press conference attended by South Sulawesi Governor HZB Palaguna and provincial police chief Sr. Comr. Andi Hasanudin.

Abdul said the press conference was called to calm the concerns of some delegates over security following the bomb attacks over the weekend in Bali, which killed more than 180 people, mostly foreign tourists.

Abdul said several participants from the U.S. and Britain had questioned security during the event.

He said some participants had considered canceling their trips to Makassar, but decided to attend the conference after receiving security assurances from the organizing committee.

"Thus far, only four people have decided to pull out of the conference following the Bali incident," he said.

Palaguna assured the conference participants that Makassar was safe.

"I, as the governor, guarantee complete security during the conference," he said.