T

he Indonesian Cocoa Association (Askindo) will hold its fifth Indonesian International Cocoa Conference in Nusa Dua, Bali, July 7-8.

The conference, titled “Working together for a better cocoa future”, will be attended by cocoa buyers, producers and experts from all over the world.

“Representatives of cocoa trading associations from several countries such as Ghana, Ivory Coast, the United States and some Asian countries will join the meeting,” Askindo chairman Zulhefi Sikumbang said in a media briefing ahead of the conference on Wednesday.

Zulhefi said the conference’ key focus was to discuss sustainability and certification for improved profitability, social and environmental conditions.

The certification is to verify that the company can produce good, quality products and use environmentally-friendly technology.

Zulhefi said the association already had discussed the certification system with the Agriculture Ministry in 2009, but the government had yet to take any actions.

“There are only two cocoa companies in Indonesia already certified by the foreign certification boards,” Zulhefi said, referring to the Rain Forest Alliance and UTZ.

He hoped the government would register the National Standardization Board to get international recognition so that all the cocoa companies could be certified by the country’s certification board.

Zulhefi said cocoa from uncertified companies could be very cheap, a difference of about US$200 to $300 per ton. Cocoa for July delivery dropped £10, or 0.5 percent, to £1,897 ($3,143) a ton by 10:15 a.m. on NYSE Liffe in London on Wednesday, Bloomberg reported.

The conference, which will be opened by Agriculture Minister Suswono, also will address cocoa’s global future, collaboration for sustainable cocoa and chocolate, and other cocoa business issues.

Other figures scheduled to speak at the conference include the International Cocoa Organization executive director Jean-Marc Anga, World Cocoa Foundation president William Guyton and Cocoa Merchants’ Association of America board member Ruth Moloney.

Indonesia accounts for around 15 percent of world cocoa production and is an important exporter of cocoa. However, Askindo predicted that the country’s cocoa export would fall from 320,000 tons in 2010 to 280,000 tons this year due to bad weather.

Global production in 2011-2012 will be 3.682 million tons, while usage is estimated to be 3.776 million tons, VM Group and ABN Amro Bank NV said in an email on Wednesday. (drs)