TEMPO.CO, Makassar - Bank Indonesia (BI) representative in eastern Indonesia covering Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua will do pioneering work in developing cacao cluster in Mamuju, West Sulawesi.
The cluster is intended to serve as a pilot project under a program to make use of available potentials, the head of BI representative office for those areas, Suhaedi, said here on Friday.
Suhaedi, former head of BI in Manado, said the district administration and plantation service would carry out the plan.
"If the pilot project is feasible banks could be asked to provide the finance," he said.
He said he did not agree with perception that banks are reluctant to invest in the plantation sector.
Banks would be eager to provide credits for feasible business which is seriously implemented, he said.
If the pilot project could lead to massive movement in business, banks and the farmers would both gain, he said.
Sulawesi is the main cacao producing island of Indonesia, which is the third largest cacao producer in the world after the Ivory Coast and Ghana.
