Entry: Bill Guyton

Greetings from Indonesia! I am here attending the 4th Indonesia International Cocoa Conference which will be followed by field visits to cocoa farms on Saturday.

The theme of the conference is "World Cocoa Sustainability Partnership" which closely ties to the mission and goals of the World Cocoa Foundation. I was surprised by the size and diversity of the audience (over 300) from both the private and public sectors.

Cocoa is a very important export crop for Indonesia, which is currently the third largest producer in the world. As in other cocoa growing countries, the crop is cultivated by small scale family farmers and it is primarily grown on the island of Sulawesi.

The cocoa idustry here faces many challenges and opportunities. One of the more serious problems is the cocoa pod borer pest which destroys millions of dollars worth of cocoa in the fields. The World Cocoa Foundation and partners are investing in pilot programs to curb the losses by providing better farming and harvesting practices. Greater investment is needed in the future to breed trees that are more resistant to the pest. This effort will take time and patience.

The speakers on Day One of the conference included representatives from the local government and Ministry of Agriculture, followed by Jan Vingerhoets of the International Cocoa Organization, Phil Sigley from the Federation of Cocoa Commerce, Isaac Osei from the Ghana Cocoa Board, Pam Thornton from the Cocoa Merchants Association of America, and myself. The common message among the speakers seemed to be that greater coordination of efforts are needed in order to directly improve farmer productivity. The most important partner must always be the farmer.

Today's session will focus more on local initiatives to improve farmer livelihoods and supply chain linkages. There will also be a presentation on market growth and potential in China, delivered by the Chinese delegation.

I am looking forward to the field visits on Saturday, to see some of the new technologies being tested on farms. These include new solar dryer designs and fermentation techniques that can add value to the crop at the farm level.

Photo: A farmer in Sulawesi proud of his premium cocoa beans cleaned and sorted by his cooperative.