Mamuju, W Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - The West Sulawesi administration is to build cocoa processing plants in Mamuju and Polewali Mandar districts in 2013 to boost its cocoa production to 250.000 tons a year.

"West Sulawesi Province is the biggest cocoa producer in Indonesia. The processing plants are expected to increase the province's cocoa production from the currently 135,000 tons a year," Governor of West Sulawesi Anwar Adnan Saleh said here Sunday.

The cocoa processing plants to be built by the administration had been approved and included in the government's Masterplan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia's Economic Development (MP3EI), thus the budget would be allocated for the construction, governor said.

The two plants would part of the mega projects in the region as they need 500 billion rupiah for the construction, using a joint budget between the government and Malaysian investors, the governor said.

Having the cocoa processing plants, West Sulawesi would not only export raw cocoa bean, but it will also produce processed cocoa products as well, the governor said.

Therefore, processing the bean into processed products is expected to increase the added values of the commodity and improve people's welfare.

The West Sulawesi's economic growth, which is 11.9 percent in 2011, is expected to be boosted by the operations of the cocoa processing plants. (T.SYS/A014)