Indonesia prepares three million cocoa seedlings for Nabire
The Agriculture Ministry is targeting 3,000 hectares of cocoa plantations, including the renewal of ageing crops and expansion onto new farmland.
Indonesia’s Agriculture Ministry is preparing three million cocoa seedlings for planting in Nabire District, Central Papua, as part of an effort to make the district a major cocoa producer within three to four years, a provincial official said.
Rafael Heri Nugroho, head of the Central Papua Plantation and Livestock Office, said on October 30 that distribution to farmer groups was expected by the end of 2026. The seedlings are being raised in stages at a central nursery in Samabusa after shipments from the Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute (Puslitkoka).
The ministry’s wider target covers 3,000 hectares: rejuvenating 1,000 hectares of ageing, unproductive cocoa crops and adding 2,000 hectares of new farmland. It has prepared 3.6 million seedlings overall, with three million intended for primary planting and 600,000 held in reserve to replace plants that fail or suffer damage.
The provincial and district governments are coordinating oversight of distribution and planting. Nabire’s Livestock and Plantation Office proposed the farmers and sites, which were then checked in coordination with the Agricultural Modernization Implementation Agency to assess farmers’ readiness.
Nugroho said the programme also aims to develop processing into products such as cocoa powder and local chocolate, with greater returns expected for communities. The ministry is prioritising local participation, including work on nursery construction and maintenance, to support jobs and household incomes.
