Gamal Nasir Director-General of Plantations, Ministry of Agriculture
We can be the world's largest cocoa producer

GAMAL Nasir has more than 30 years of experience working with the government's agricultural department. A graduate in agricultural economics from Padjajaran University, he believes that Indonesia produces many valuable commodities that can do well in the international market, and cocoa is one with the most potential among them.

Today, Indonesia is the world's third biggest producer of cocoa beans after Ghana and the Ivory Coast, producing more than 700,000 tons last year. Yet, Gamal feels that Indonesia can do better. Some 1.7 million hectares of cocoa plantations are spread throughout the archipelago, planted and managed by 1.6 million farmers. "This commodity has so much potential, we can probably be the second largest, or even the number one producer of cocoa beans in the world," he claimed.

June 14, 2016