Indonesia and Papua New Guinea expand cocoa production initiatives

Regional governments in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are launching initiatives to expand their cocoa sectors and boost economic growth through agricultural development.

In Indonesia, the government is supporting a 100-hectare cocoa plantation in Southwest Papua. The program includes providing 100,000 quality cocoa seedlings and labor subsidies to increase upstream production. The Ministry of Agriculture intends to monitor the process from seed production to planting to ensure a steady supply of raw materials for local processing industries. Other crops such as nutmeg and coconut are also being considered based on local potential.

In Papua New Guinea, the Cocoa Board is implementing a 10-year strategic plan (2026–2035) aimed at transforming agriculture from subsistence farming into a major economic driver. The strategy focuses on expanding local processing and modernizing value chains to create up to one million jobs, particularly for rural youth. The initiative seeks to establish the country as a regional processing hub by prioritizing investment in manufacturing and downstream processing.