Study on Incentive Price of Fermented Cocoa to Overcome Reluctance of Farmer to Apply Fermentation : Case Study in Jembrana Regency

Abstract

Improving cocoa quality through encouraging farmers to do fermentation is one of the ways to increase the added value of cocoa. However, majority of
Indonesian farmers are reluctance to do fermentation. This research aimed to study factors causing farmers reluctant to do fermentation, weight difference
between fermented and unfermented cocoa, cocoa processing time difference between fermented and unfermented cocoa, quality difference between fermented
and unfermented coco refers to cocoa bean standard (SNI): 01-2323-2008/Amd-2010, and feasible added value incentive of fermented cocoa beans. The data collection
were conducted through household farmers’ survey, focus group discussion and experimental research. The experimental research was conducted to understand
the weight and processing time differences; and to asess the quality, including moisture content, bean count, pH and fermentation index. Analysis of the data
were conducted by methods of Fishbone Ishikawa and logit multiplier linear analysis. The research results showed that the main factors causing farmers reluctant to
do fermentation were insuitable of selling price of fermented cocoa, the existence of village collectors in buying unfermented cocoa, the lack of cooperation among
farmers in farmer group (Subak Abian) and the lack of farmers’ skills on cocoa bean fermentation. This study also found that the weight depreciation difference
between fermented and unfermented cocoa was 0.5-3.75%, and the processing time difference between fermented and unfermented cocoa was 12-24 hours. Quality
of fermented cocoa beans was higher than that of unfermented cocoa beans and it can fulfill the standard of SNI: 01-2323-2008/Amd-2010. It was found that the
feasible added value incentive of fermented cocoa benas was 2,126-3,426 IDR/kg.
Keywords: cocoa, fermentation, unfermented, quality, incentive