Indonesia is the world’s third largest cocoa origin, and the largest in Asia. It’s annual production ranges from 500-600,000 tonnes.
Nestlé’s Cocoa Plan in Indonesia will invest over CHF 3.4 million (USD 4 million) over four years to train farmers, provide plant expertise, support supply chain transparency and to create an experimental and demonstration farm in the heart of the cocoa area. Nestlé launched the Plan in Indonesia at a workshop in the cocoa port of Makassar in July 2011, in collaboration with the provincial Government of West Sulawesi and South Sulawesi in Indonesia.
Cocoa is a relatively new product in Indonesia – it was introduced in the 19th century, but it was only in the late 1970’s that it took off, most particularly on the island of Sulawesi.
One of the biggest challenges of cocoa production in Indonesia is combating the cocoa pod borer pest, which attacks up to a third of the crop. Nestlé’s involvement in this problem began several years ago with the donation of accelerated propagation technology to the Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute (ICCRI) which speeds up plant growth. The country has further invested in this technique and is producing 70 million new cocoa plants for smallholder farmers. Nestlé is now deepening this involvement by investing in its own supply chain.
