West Papua Provincial Government Prepares Cocoa Development Across 68,734 Hectares Until 2027

Manokwari, West Papua — The West Papua Provincial Government is preparing the development of cocoa plantations covering 68,734 hectares until 2027 as one of the strategies to strengthen the regional economy based on flagship commodities.

Governor of West Papua Dominggus Mandacan, in a written statement received in Manokwari, West Papua, on Friday, said that the cocoa development will be carried out through collaboration between the regional government and the central government through the Ministry of Agriculture.

“On Thursday (12 March 2026), we had an audience with Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman and one of the proposed cooperation points was cocoa development,” he said.

He stated that the estimated budget for cocoa development through plant rejuvenation programmes, new land expansion, and production improvement reaches Rp357.52 billion, which means the regional government requires support from the central government.

The effort not only aims to increase plantation production but also to open opportunities for local labour absorption and drive the growth of the cocoa derivative product processing industry, which will have a positive impact on the regional economy.

“The provincial government projects that local labour absorption in the cocoa plantation sector will reach approximately 2,500 people,” Dominggus said.

In the initial phase, the cocoa plantation development will be focused on two regions: Manokwari Regency with potential land coverage reaching 2,381 hectares and South Manokwari Regency with 4,530 hectares of plantations.

The flagship commodity from the plantation sector that is also included in the list of cooperation proposals between the provincial government and the Ministry of Agriculture is the development of nutmeg commodities in Fakfak and Kaimana regencies, covering a total area of 30,778 hectares.

“For cocoa, in the initial phase, the provincial government is targeting the addition of 1,500 hectares of new plantation land. We are also proposing nutmeg commodity to be included in the cooperation programme,” he said.

He noted that the plantation sector has significant potential to become a driver of the regional economy because it directly involves the active participation of the community, particularly those residing in village areas.