President Prabowo Subianto has initiated an acceleration of the domestic chocolate nursery and rejuvenation program in response to a surge in global chocolate prices. He explained that the global chocolate production pillar is facing pressure due to disease outbreaks and extreme weather in Latin America and Africa, thus creating a significant opportunity for Indonesia to become an alternative supplier - especially following huge interest from Belarus and other countries that need this commodity. Prabowo came up with the idea during a dialogue with former President Jokowi in Surakarta, emphasizing the urgency of the cocoa plantation revitalization program for Indonesia to respond to the favorable global market momentum.
As he concluded a series of official visits to Belarus-after visits to Saudi Arabia, the UK, Brazil and France-Prabowo also discussed potential bilateral cooperation, including Belarus' need for Indonesian agricultural commodities other than chocolate, such as rubber, and import opportunities for potash fertilizer. Through this strategy, the government hopes to strengthen national food security, increase export value, and build more balanced trade relations with strategic countries.
