This forum and workshop, held in Jakarta on 30 April 2025, brought together industry, government, and research stakeholders to address the urgent need for seedling investment in Indonesia's coconut sector. Presented by Prof. Dr. Hengky Novarianto, a leading coconut breeder and former senior scientist at the Palma Research Institute and BRIN, the session examined why Indonesia has slipped from the world's largest to second-largest coconut producer, and why current replanting efforts would take over 20 years to rejuvenate the country's aging plantations at the present pace.

The presentation lays out the structural gaps behind this slowdown, limited upstream investment, constrained seedling production, and a fragmented distribution system, while highlighting that Indonesia already has the scientific foundation to solve it, with 58 superior coconut varieties released since 1983. It closes with a proposed pathway forward, including a nucleus-plasma investment model and supporting regulatory reforms, to turn Indonesia's coconut science into a scalable, investable industry.

CKC INSIGHT Editorial

The editorial and media arm of the CKC Platform, covering the coconut sector.