Int'l Cocoa Festival Yields Partnerships Between Companies
3 September 2014 08:48 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Bali International Cocoa Festival (BICF) held in Jembrana, Bali on August 28 to 30, 2014, resulted in 11 memorandum of understandings (MoU) between companies and cooperatives. “This is a spirit to place farmers and companies in an equal position where partnership can be established,” said BICF committee chairman Agung Widiastuti on Tuesday.
Dozens of cooperatives and companies participated in the festival. Some of the established partnerships are between Koperasi Kerta Semaya Samaniya Jembrana and PT Papandayan Cocoa Industries (Barry Callebout and Badung Regency Subak Kembang Sari and PT POD Chocolate.
There are also four MoU berween PT Equilibrium and seven small companies which consist of Koperasi Masagena, HPS Yogyakarta, Koperasi Lestari Mandiri Boyolali from Central Java, KSU Mekar Jaya Batang from Central Java, Koperasi Wasiat from West Sulawesi, Koperasi Amanah Sulawesi dan KSU Jantan from East Nusa Tenggara.
Other three MoU are between PT Pagilaran with Koperasi Sikap from East Nusa Tenggara, KSU Jantan and Koperasi Mekar Jaya.
The event also yielded many initiatives for cooperation between stakeholders of cocoa. Agung aaid Jembrana’s position in national cocoa has not been reckoned because cocoa still covers only a small area in western Bali, with 6,262 hectare. However, he hoped that Jembrana would pioneer other regions in promoting equality.
ROFIQI HASAN