Pacitan Prepares to Become a Cocoa Landscape Development Hub
Pacitan, 13 August 2026 — The Center for Sustainable Landscape Science (PSLB) of INSTIPER conducted a working visit to Pacitan Regency to discuss the development of a Cocoa Landscape Development Center with the Pacitan Regency Government and key cocoa stakeholders at the local level.
The visit brought together the PSLB INSTIPER team with the Pacitan Agriculture and Food Security Office (DPKP), as well as the Bumi Mina Jaya Farmers’ Association (Gapoktan) of Punung District. PSLB INSTIPER deployed a nine-member team, while DPKP was represented by its Head, the Head of the Plantation Division, relevant officials, and representatives of farmer groups.
The meeting followed an initial discussion held at the INSTIPER campus on 30 July 2026. This second meeting focused on further developing the concept and exploring implementation opportunities for a public service and cocoa development orchestration center as part of Pacitan’s strategy to develop one of its priority agricultural commodities.
From a Commodity to a Landscape System
During the meeting, PSLB INSTIPER introduced a business model framework for developing a cocoa landscape and value chain system. The approach goes beyond viewing cocoa simply as an agricultural commodity. Instead, it sees cocoa as an ecosystem connecting farmers, farmer groups, input suppliers, collection and processing centers, industry, markets, and supporting institutions.
The concept received a positive response from the Pacitan Regency Government. The Head of the Pacitan Agriculture and Food Security Office considered the approach highly relevant to the local government’s agenda, particularly its efforts to promote cocoa intensification, expansion, and downstream development.
According to PSLB INSTIPER, cocoa development in Pacitan requires an institution capable of systematically connecting these different actors. The proposed Cocoa Landscape Development Center is therefore expected to go beyond providing technical services and evolve into an orchestrator of the cocoa ecosystem—from improving farm-level productivity to processing, marketing, product development, and strengthening market access.
Building a Cocoa Development Center
Under the proposed concept, the Pacitan cocoa ecosystem would be developed progressively through a chain linking input suppliers – farmers – farmer groups/cooperatives – Mini Cocoa Hubs – Cocoa Development Centers – industry and export markets. The structure is designed to bridge the gap between farmer-level production and the requirements of industry and markets.
The Cocoa Development Center would serve as a critical node within this system. Its functions would include strengthening fermentation, drying, sorting, storage, quality control, processing, and marketing support. Under the proposed operating model, the cocoa business flow would follow the sequence of production → fermentation → drying → sorting → storage → processing → marketing.
The Center is therefore expected to become a platform where the interests and capacities of farmers, government, universities, businesses, cooperatives, and markets can converge.
Targeting 3,000 Farmers and 2,500 Hectares
PSLB INSTIPER also presented the development prospect of the Pacitan Sustainable Cocoa Landscape Enterprise for the 2027–2035 period. The vision is to develop a premium cocoa landscape in Pacitan, initially involving approximately 3,000 farmers and 2,500 hectares of cocoa plantations.
In terms of productivity, the program aims to increase yields from approximately 0.7 tonnes to 1.5 tonnes per hectare, while increasing the proportion of fermented cocoa beans to approximately 70 percent.
These targets respond to several challenges currently facing cocoa development, including aging trees, low productivity, and limited post-harvest facilities. At the same time, Pacitan has opportunities to develop premium cocoa, supply the domestic chocolate industry, and integrate cocoa with agroforestry and tourism.
Shifting the Focus from Production to Value Addition
A key element of the proposed approach is strengthening local value creation. PSLB INSTIPER considers that increasing production must go hand in hand with strengthening the capacity of farmers and local institutions to produce higher-quality products with greater economic value.
For this reason, the proposed business model does not rely solely on the sale of cocoa beans. The development center could generate revenues through fermentation services, drying and grading, chocolate products, seedling production, training, and agro-tourism.
This approach creates an opportunity for cocoa to evolve from a conventional plantation commodity into a landscape enterprise capable of generating economic, social, and environmental value simultaneously.
Investment and Partnerships
To support the development of the ecosystem, PSLB INSTIPER presented several investment packages that could be developed progressively, ranging from a Farmer Kit, to a Community Cocoa Hub, and ultimately a Cocoa Development Center. Initial investment priorities would focus on fermentation, drying, quality control, and processing.
The proposed institutional model places cooperatives as one of the key operating entities, supported by government, universities, and the private sector. Under this model, the development center would not operate as a stand-alone facility, but as part of a broader institutional and business network for Pacitan cocoa.
From PSLB INSTIPER’s perspective, partnerships will be essential because cocoa development requires the integration of knowledge, technology, institutions, financing, markets, and entrepreneurial capabilities.
Towards Premium Cocoa from Pacitan
The meeting in Pacitan represents an initial step toward translating the Cocoa Landscape Development Center concept into an institutional and business model that can be jointly implemented.
The roadmap presented by PSLB INSTIPER identifies 2027–2028 as the phase for plantation rehabilitation and institutional strengthening; 2029–2031 as the phase for fermentation, branding, and processing development; and 2032–2035 as the phase focused on premium markets, exports, cocoa tourism, and sustainable landscape development.
For Pacitan Regency, the initiative offers an opportunity to develop a new model of commodity development: not merely increasing cocoa production, but building a cocoa ecosystem capable of creating greater value, strengthening farmer incomes, generating employment, and maintaining landscape sustainability.
The meeting between PSLB INSTIPER, the Pacitan Regency Government, and farmer groups in Punung is expected to provide a foundation for developing a shared action plan toward the realization of the Pacitan Sustainable Cocoa Landscape Enterprise—a new model of cocoa development that brings together farmers, government, science, investment, industry, and markets within an integrated landscape ecosystem.