JAKARTA, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian Industry Ministry has mulled limiting shipment of cocoa overseas in a bid to help spur downstream sector of the commodity at domestic, a minister said on Tuesday.
The proposal came following a surge in exportation of cocoa recently which has reduced supply of the commodity for industry in the country.
Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto said he had pur forward a proposal to the fiscal department of Finance Ministry to revise the current tariff which prompts growers to sell their products overseas.
"We have proposed to the tariff to be flat, 15 percent, to fiscal department. Now the export tax is based on the international prices," he said.
Under the current tariff, Hartarto stressed that it triggers exports hike, which causes scarcity of raw material for industry at domestic.
Hartarto expects that the restriction will boost productivity of the country's cocoa industry.
Indonesia is among the world's top three cocoa producers along with Ivory Coast and Ghana.
