The exports of cocoa from Indonesia is predicted to keep steady this year and next year, compared to that of at last year which stood at 350,000 tons, Indonesian Cocoa Association said Thursday.
Chairman of Indonesian Cocoa Association Halim Razak said that Indonesia has attempted to boost the quality of the commodity to raise its added value.
By conducting fermentation program, the chairman said that it could give added value as much as 150 to 200 U.S. dollars per ton.
He said that currently, the Indonesia's cocoa quality is still lower than the products from Ghana.
Indonesia's cocoa plantations covered the areas of 1.5 million hectares, and next year the area would be expanded by over 10,000 to 20,000
hectares in western parts of the country, he said.
Indonesia exports its cocoa to the United States, Brazil, China, Singapore and Malaysia.
Indonesia is the world's third-largest cocoa producer after Ivory Coast and Ghana.