Which Province Was the Largest Cocoa Producer in 2018?

Central Sulawesi was the largest cocoa producing province in 2018. According to the Ministry of Agriculture's data, the province, whose capital city is Palu, produced 100,702 tons of cocoa. South Sulawesi followed in second place with a production of 100,567 tons, and Southeast Sulawesi was third with 93,301 tons. Cocoa is the plant from which chocolate is made.

The top 10 cocoa-producing provinces yielded a total of 524,056 tons, representing approximately 88% of the national cocoa production of 593,833 tons. Regionally, Sulawesi was the main cocoa producer last year, reaching 358,125 tons or more than 60% of national maize production. Four of the largest cocoa producers were from Sulawesi. The remaining producers were West Sumatra, Lampung, Aceh, North Sumatra, East Java, and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

For information, Indonesia is one of the world's leading cocoa exporters. In 2017, cocoa exports reached 354,752 tons, valued at US$1.2 billion, or approximately Rp 14 trillion at an exchange rate of Rp 12,000 per US dollar.