Central Kalimantan Provincial Government Increases Kakao Cultivation As Potential Commodity

PALANGKA RAYA - Kakao seems to be increasingly promising as a potential commodity in Central Kalimantan. The Central Kalimantan Provincial Government is also trying to optimize cocoa cultivation by increasing the capacity of farmers.

Reported by Antara, Head of the Central Kalimantan Plantation Service (Disbun) Rizky Badjuri, in Palangka Raya, Sunday, said that efforts to increase capacity were so that cocoa commodities in Central Kalimantan could be lifted and become the main commodities.

"In the not too long term, cocoa commodities also provide color in the development of Central Kalimantan plantation commodities, among other leading commodities, such as palm oil, rubber, internal coconut, and coffee," he said, Sunday, March 31.

Rizky conveyed that based on statistical data on national superior plantations published by the Directorate General of Plantation of the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, the area of people's plantations in Central Kalimantan for cocoa commodities reaches around 2,878 hectares with a production of around 1,557 tons per year.

According to him, cocoa commodities still have the potential to be cultivated in Central Kalimantan, especially since they have shown a successful development trend, including in North Barito, South Barito, East Barito, and Murung Raya Regencies.

Rizky also emphasized that cocoa commodities will also not have a social effect if planted in forest areas or social forestry.

"This is because cocoa trees will not cause many problems such as palm oil, both where they grow and in the surrounding environment," he also said.

The activities to increase the capacity of cocoa farmers that Central Kalimantan has just carried out, include collaborating with the Good Forest Indonesia Foundation.

Through this synergy, his party held a seminar on potential industrial development and cocoa cultivation in Central Kalimantan.

"We are trying to make our community and farmers in Central Kalimantan not only focus on commodities such as palm oil, rubber or rubber. But also start to see other potentials such as cocoa cultivation," he said again.

He further said that this potential is very good to take advantage of, because in recent years the demand for cocoa in the global market has experienced a significant upward trend, but on the contrary, domestic cocoa production has actually decreased with various different factors.

This condition can be considered a very good opportunity for the development of cocoa in Central Kalimantan, so joint efforts and synergies are needed from various parties.