West Sulawesi
Indonesia's youngest Sulawesi province (2004), with 46% GRDP from agriculture and cocoa-to-palm conversion underway.
Indonesia's youngest province on Sulawesi emerged in 2004 from the western coast of what was South Sulawesi. The capital Mamuju looks out over Makassar Strait; the interior hills grow cocoa, coconut, and patchouli—crops that contribute to an agricultural sector comprising 46% of GRDP. Researchers have observed widespread conversion of cocoa plantations to palm oil, driven by volatile chocolate prices and steadier CPO revenues.
West Sulawesi's farmer welfare ranks among Indonesia's highest, largely thanks to palm oil transmigrant communities in Central Mamuju. Local governments see palm expansion as the only development path, envisioning North Mamuju as eastern Indonesia's palm oil hub. The province grew 4.76% in 2024, though CPO production declines caused a 1.69% contraction in the processing sector. Meanwhile, cocoa, coconut, and patchouli production increased under better weather conditions.
The chocolate-to-palm conversion echoes across Sulawesi, with land-use change driven by economics rather than agronomy. By 2026, West Sulawesi will test whether palm oil's steady returns can sustain welfare gains—or whether the province's bet on a single commodity replicates the price volatility it fled by abandoning cocoa.