•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   

A government scheme to replant and rehabilitate cocoa plantations in the eastern part of the country is doomed to fail due to untested seeds and the lack of direct involvement by growers, according to the Indonesian Cocoa Association, a claim that has been dismissed by a top Agriculture Ministry official.

Starting in April and continuing through 2012, the scheme is aimed at rejuvenating cocoa plantations in Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua and Bali, with Rp 1 trillion ($98 million) being allocated this year to rejuvenate 145,000 hectares.

Halim Razak, the general chairman of the association also known as Askindo, said that not enough planning had gone into the scheme.

“The preparations have been minimal and have not involved the cocoa growers, who are supposed to be responsible for rejuvenating their own plantations,” Razak said on Thursday. He added that the government was distributing seeds that had not been tested under different types of soil and climate conditions. The seeds, he said, have only been planted in West Sumatra and, although they thrive there, “we don’t know yet whether they will grow well in other areas or what their productivity will be.”

At present, average cocoa production only amounts to 0.5 tons a hectare. Under ideal conditions, it should be between 1.2 tons and 1.5 tons per hectare. Indonesia is currently the world’s third biggest cocoa producer after Ivory Coast and Ghana.

Razak added that the seeds are only resistant to some types of plant disease, but not others.

He said that instead of providing training for farmers to help them rejuvenate their own trees using grafting techniques, the government was holding tenders for large-scale private companies to rehabilitate 60,000 hectares of small-holder plantations. He said tenders were worth Rp 7.5 billion, and covered the supply of grafts, the actual grafting and subsequent maintenance.

“But who will oversee the implementation of the contracts, and whether the companies use good grafts and carry out the grafting work properly?” he said.

“The failure rate in grafting is very high unless the plants receive proper maintenance. Instead of paying Rp 5,000 a tree to the companies, I think it would be better for growers to be taught how to maintain their own cocoa trees.”

However, Achmad Mangga Barani, the Agriculture Ministry’s director general of plantations, vehemently rejected Razak’s assertion that the scheme was half-baked.

He said that there was no one type of seed that was resistant to all diseases, adding that the ministry is providing five varieties of cocoa seeds to growers so they can best choose the seeds that suited their locations.

“All of the seed varieties are fully certified and guaranteed by the Ministry of Agriculture,” he told the Jakarta Globe, adding that the ministry would hold a media briefing today to address the issue.

National cocoa production has dropped significantly in recent years due to disease and aging trees. In 2007, the country produced about 520,000 tons of cocoa beans, but this fell to 500,000 tons in 2008. Askindo expects a 480,000 ton production this year.

Cocoa prices for September shipment closed at $2,531 per metric ton in New York on Thursday.