Trade Minister: The Future of Cocoa Depends on Collaboration

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Trade Minister Budi Santoso has said that the future of the country’s cocoa industry and its supporting ecosystem will depend heavily on collaboration among stakeholders such as the government, cocoa farmers, businesses, financial institutions, academics and international partners.

Speaking at the 9th Indonesia International Cocoa Conference (IICC) in Yogyakarta on Thursday, Budi said the strategic role of Indonesia’s cocoa sector in the global economy would be further propelled through such stakeholder collaboration.

“As a strategic Indonesian export product with significant added-value potential, the future of cocoa depends on stakeholder collaboration. Indonesia’s vision is clear, namely to become a global hub for sustainable, value-added premium cocoa and chocolate products,” Budi said in an official statement received in Jakarta on Thursday.

Over the past five years, Indonesia’s cocoa export performance has shown very strong growth. Export value in 2025 stood at US$3.60 billion, a threefold increase compared with 2021, when it was US$1.2 billion.

The commodity increasingly demonstrates Indonesia’s potential to capture the global premium cocoa market segment. According to Budi, these efforts must be supported by innovation, geographical indication factors and sustainable production.

“Therefore, Indonesia’s export strategy must continue to focus on increasing added value, meeting international standards, diversifying export markets, and maximising the use of the international trade agreements Indonesia holds,” Budi said.

Regarding the utilisation of international trade agreements, Indonesia has so far implemented 25 trade agreements with its partner countries, with two more in the process of ratification.