Performances of the Cocoa Farming Models in Cocoa Bean Supply Chain: A Case Study of Gapoktan Resopammase in South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

The research objectives are to evaluate the performances of three cocoa farming models in “so called Gapoktanâ€(Combined Farmers Groups) of Resopammase’s cocoa supply chain, located in Larompong District, Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. Resopammase has organized around 16 of cocoa farming groups (called poktan), a kind of village cooperative to produce quality and fermented cocoa beans since several years ago to supply for PT. Bumi Tangerang Mesindotama in Tangerang, Banten Province. Data for this researh were derived from field survey, expert survey, and literature study. Evaluation uses Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The major finding of this research is that, the cocoa farming model in which the cocoa smallholders sell their cocoa beans in the form of wet- cocoa beans to the poktan, which in turn processes the wet-cocoa beans into dry fermented cocoa beans in the Cocoa Processing Center (CPC) before delivering the cocoa beans to Resopammase, has the highest overall priority level in performances (0.699), compared to the other two that have the priority levels of.0.196 and 0.136, respectively. The criteria in evaluating the models are respectively quality of the cocoa beans (0.343), continuity of supply (0.216), cocoa farming management (0.194), cost efficiency (0.147), and responsiveness to handle any complaint about quality of the cocoa bean produced (0.099). For the policy makers, this finding can be used as one of the references in the efforts to improve quality and increase production of the cocoa beans of the Indonesia’s cocoa farming parallel to the increase in cocoa farmers’ income.