Syngenta supports the development of sustainable and productive cocoa cultivation

Syngenta Indonesia has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the development of productive and sustainable cocoa cultivation through the organisation of the ‘Festival Kakao Tangguh 2026’ in North Kolaka Regency, Southeast Sulawesi.

The President Director of Syngenta Indonesia, Eryanto, stated that this year’s Resilient Cocoa Festival focuses on the optimisation of cocoa plant pollination as an effort to support increased productivity.

“We continue to accompany farmers in encouraging sustainable practices that can support the productivity of cocoa plants,” he said in a statement in Jakarta on Friday.

The two-day event included training on biodiversity and pollinators in cocoa, manual pollination competitions, and cocoa fruit weight competitions.

The Resilient Cocoa Festival was attended by more as than 300 farmers and 50 agricultural extension officers from North Kolaka Regency and surrounding areas.

In training sessions organised alongside Halu Oleo University, participants gained knowledge regarding cocoa flower pollinators, beneficial insects, and the importance of biodiversity within cocoa plantation ecosystems.

Understanding the role of pollinators and how to support their presence in plantations is a crucial aspect of encouraging the natural pollination of cocoa plants.

Additionally, farmers were introduced to the agroforestry approach, a cultivation system that combines cocoa plants with other crops. This approach not only supports biodiversity on farmland but also has the potential to provide additional economic value to farmers through the selection of suitable companion crops.