VP Calls on Europe to Lower Cocoa Import Duties
15 May 2015 11:58 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - – During the Federation of Cocoa Commerce (FCC) annual conference in London, England, Vice President Jusuf “JK” Kalla called on the FCC to lower import duties for Indonesian cocoa products in Europe.
“We asked for a non-discriminatory treatment for Indonesian cocoa products. Our cocoa products are imposed with import duties of five to six percent, but they don't apply to African [products],” JK said on Thursday, May 14, 2015 in London.
Indonesia is currently the third largest cocoa producer after Ivory Coast and Ghana, with an annual production of 750,000 tons.
“Our target is to step up the production by 50 percent for exports in 2020,” JK explained.
JK added that achieving the target would then improve farmers’ welfare as they sold their cocoa directly to industries. JK revealed that the mission was to expand Indonesian cocoa market to Europe.
ANTARA