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Indonesia, the world's third-largest cocoa producer, has been struggling to increase its output as ageing cocoa trees have made the crop vulnerable to pest attacks.

The country's vast network of smallholders has also meant that it is more difficult to increase output as farmers often neglect their plants when cocoa prices are low or falling.

Ahmad Mangga Barani, director general of plantation crops at the Agriculture Ministry, said that the funds would be used for crop maintenance, and to cover the costs of fertiliser and replanting in 200,000 hectares of cocoa plantations.

"Farmers will get free cocoa seeds that can resist pest and disease attacks," Mangga Barani said.

Mangga Barani said the programme would help Indonesia in its fight against a deadly fungal disease, Vascular-streak dieback (VSD) and against the cocoa pod borer, which eats cocoa beans.

About 500,000 hectares of cocoa plantations have been affected by these pests and diseases, but the areas affected could be reduced by 56 percent with the introduction of pest- and disease-resistant seeds, he said.

Cocoa prices have surged to the highest level in about 20 years on concerns about crop size and quality in top grower Ivory Coast and in Indonesia.

Indonesia will need a total of 5.6 trillion rupiah over a three-year period to revitalise its ageing cocoa plantations, he added.

Indonesia is now expected to produce 480,000-490,000 tonnes of cocoa this year, well below a forecast in May of 520,000 tonnes, because of the spread of VSD which attacks branches, leaves, and tree trunks.

The Agriculture Ministry will distribute 1 million pest- and disease-resistant cocoa seeds this year, and a further 3.5 million next year, Mangga Barani said.

Laurent Pipitone, senior statistician at the International Cocoa Organization, has said VSD could pose a serious threat for the country's cocoa production in the long term. ($1=9,125 Rupiah)
From http://www.chinatopsupplier.com/ chinatopsupplier

Greetings, humanity! Welcome to Lansdell's Sunday Brunch, which you almost didn't get this week. Sorry to disappoint! However, I have FINALLY seen The Dark Knight, and I'm here to tell you that Christian Bale almost ruined the movie for me. At times his voice sounded like a Pinto trying to start on a February morning, and it annoyed me. Heath Ledger totally redeemed the movie though. Down to the licking his lips constantly to sell the effect of the scars, he had the mannerisms of a psychopath down to a tee.

SHOUT OUTS to JT, Meehan, the family Csonka, Patient Zero~! and the Barbados Olympic Team. A new segment for my weekly rant. This week: thieves. 411mania is often recognised as an innovator in wrestling columns on the internet. One of our longest-running and most popular innovations is the brainchild of JP Prag and James "JT" Thomlison, the Hidden Highlights. As a three-time, three-time, THREE-TIME HH guest host, I can tell you that writing this column for even two shows is NOT easy. I often had to rewatch and rewatch the shows to find the little things, and it takes training the eye to see them. That said, it's tremendously popular and renowned for being a rare beacon of positivity in the quagmire of stitch-n-bitch that consists of the majority of markboards out there. So when one of those two-bit, ad-infested markboards stole the HH concept this week, not two days after JP was warned it would happen...the staff here got pissed. 411 is a family, and we defend our own.

You know who you are, thieves. You wouldn't know an original idea if it bit you on your amply cushioned buttocks. Of course for that to happen, you'd have to crowbar said buttocks out of the swivel chair in your mom's basement. You didn't even do a GOOD job of stealing it... the four people (I refuse to use the term ‘writers') perpetrating this joke couldn't come close to holding JP's dirty jock. And not a new jock, that old one that sits at the bottom of your gear bag, that you never wear because it smells rank and has that stain from that one time you faced a 90mph fireballer and you forgot your cup at home, but you can't throw it out because you wore it that other time you went 3-4 with 2 homers. You want something to steal, we're done with Westerfeld.

Jim Cornette described you perfectly. I suppose we shouldn't blame you, though. If our readership was down almost 70% in the last year, we'd be pretty desperate too. But then, that won't happen, because we actually have good writers, with original ideas, and we don't publish news that we got from Jeff H's garbage man who used to work with the brother-in-law of the babysitter for the receptionist of Vince McMahon's window cleaner's dentist. Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but you Pathetic Witless Trolls don't qualify as imitation. Get thee hence.

From http://www.chinatopsupplier.com/ chinatopsupplier

BELCHERTOWN - For years, David Bressette would take care of the vegetable garden and his wife, Susan, would work on the flower gardens at their home.
But when a back injury left her unable to do the work required this year, Susan was relieved to see David step in and keep things going with the flowers.
Their multiple gardens at their Old Enfield Road property have a combination of perennials and annuals with a concentration of perennials. They have multiple varieties of hosta, iris, lilies and other plants throughout the front, back and side yards.
Susan Bressette became involved with flower gardens as a little girl, paying attention to her grandfather and her father as they worked their gardens. Her father let her take care of one small garden outside the window of her mother and father's room.
Susan and David Bresette moved to Old Enfield Road 23 years ago.
At first their front yard was done more traditionally, but over time the varieties of flowers have spread. When she stayed home with her children, Susan Bressette would put in about 25 hours each week working in the garden.
These days she works at the Belchertown Senior Center. While her job deals with programs, not the grounds at the Senior Center, Susan Bressette was responsible for getting flower gardens planted there.
It is an area that has been important to her since her early days with her father and grandfather.
"It is a form of art with design and color," Susan Bressette said.
Despite her lifelong involvement with flowers, she was ready to have her husband turn three-quarters of the plants at their home under because she figured she would not be able to stand looking at them this year in the shape she expected them to be in without her taking care of them.
But David Bressette took over.
Part of the motivation was that their youngest daughter, Jill, was getting married in June, and David Bressette wanted the yard to look good.
From http://www.agriculture-supplier.com/ agriculture-supplier