RI's cacao output to keep falling

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The country's cacao yields are projected to continue to decline in the coming years as the industry remains unable to solve pest problems, which have been troubling the country for years, according to the Association of Indonesian Cacao Exporters (Askindo).

Zulhefi Sikumbang, secretary-general of Askindo, told The Jakarta Post that the pest problem, along with the drought, which is also predicted to continue at the country's main cacao- producing areas, will reduce the country's output by 15 percent from this year's target of 360,000 tons.

The association initially projected this year's output at 380,000 tons, but it later revised down the target to 360,000 tons due the continued pest problem and drought.

Zulhefi said the pests, which are popularly known as "pod borers", had damaged at least 70,000 hectares of cacao plantations in South and Central Sulawesi, which account for 80 percent of the country's cocoa bean output.

Zulhefi said that the spread of the pest was on the rise this year in both provinces and has seemingly spread to other areas outside the provinces, including Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan and Maluku.

Indonesia, the world's third largest producers of cacao after the Ivory Coast and Ghana, produced 362,000 tons last year with a total harvest area of about 500,000 hectares.

"The elimination of the cacao pod borers is still far from being effective," he said.

He added that a United States agency called the American Cocoa Research Institute had conducted research and made efforts to eliminate the pest throughout the year.

But, their work was considered ineffective because the agency had focused on Sulawesi, while the pests had already spread to many other areas.

"We have repeatedly asked the government to take swift action to help local farmers handle the pest problem but the government can't do much due to financial constraints," he said.

He predicted the drought, which hit the country's main cacao- producing areas, would continue next year.

Indonesia exports most of its cacao to the U.S., Singapore, Malaysia and Brazil.