The export volume and value of Indonesia's semi-processed and fully-processed cocoa have jumped over the last two years partly due to the introduction of an export tax on cocoa beans in 2010, local media quoting data from Trade Ministry reported here on Wednesday.

Indonesia, the world's third largest cocoa producer, exported around 137,460 tons of semi-processed cocoa products in 2011, such as cocoa paste and butter, up 60 percent from 2009 with a value topping 518.9 million U.S. dollars, up 107.25 percent from the past two years.

The country also sold around 58,010 tons of fully-processed cocoa overseas last year, including cocoa powder and chocolate confectionery, rising by 46.08 percent from 2009, with the value settling at 209.29 million U.S. dollar , up 179.28 percent from 2009.

Meanwhile, exports of cocoa beans dropped by 51.24 percent to 214,740 tons in 2011 from 2009, while its value slumped by 43.29 percent to617.09 million dollars.

"This reflects that in the last two years, the posture of our cocoa exports have changed from beans-dominated to value-added products as shown by the figures," Deputy Trade Minister Bayu Krishnamurti was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying.

The local cocoa industry has gradually recovered from a slowdown in 2009, when the number of processing companies shrunk partly due to a shortage of materials as cocoa producers preferred exporting beans due to surging international commodity prices.

The government then introduced a progressive export tax on cocoa in 2010 to help to provide a sufficient supply of cocoa beans for the domestic industry, which processed semi-finished and finished products.

"This year the production capacity of our processing industry will reach 400,000 tons annually, while in the first quarter of this year, it has been 80,000 tons," Indonesian Cacao Industry Association (AIKI) executive director Sindra Wijaya told The Jakarta Post.