Indonesia's Second Lady Appreciates Signature Products of Central Sulawesi

RRI.CO.ID, Palu – Second Lady of Indonesia and Chairwoman of the Indonesian National Craft Council (Dekranas), Selvi Ananda, visited the Central Sulawesi Regional Craft Council Gallery – Rumah Cokelat (House of Chocolate) in Palu on Wednesday, September 2, 2026. The visit offered a chance to see firsthand the growth of small and medium-sized industries, as well as a range of flagship products made by local businesses and artisans in the province.

Accompanied by Head of the Central Sulawesi Office of Industry and Trade Richard A. Djanggola, Selvi began her visit by inspecting the chocolate production area. She observed the processing of cocoa beans, from roasting, breaking, and separating the beans to processing them into cocoa paste and chocolate products ready for market.

“For couverture chocolate, once the liquor (cocoa paste) is ready, we add cocoa butter, sugar, and milk for milk chocolate. For dark chocolate, we do not add milk. The mixing process takes approximately two hours,” an official from the office, Silaturrohmah, explained, as reported by the Indonesian Vice Presidential Secretariat.

After inspecting the production process, Selvi viewed a variety of processed products from Rumah Cokelat and small businesses supported by the Central Sulawesi Regional Craft Council. In addition to chocolate, the products included a range of local foods such as bagea, crispy brownies, Palu fried shallots, Sigi roasted shallots, shredded fish, and sambal.

The visit then continued to the area showcasing traditional crafts from Central Sulawesi. One that caught Selvi’s attention was Donggala handwoven fabric, featuring a variety of distinctive local motifs and using both chemical and natural dyes derived from local plants.

Selvi also interacted with the weavers to learn more about the fabric-making process. One of them was Rahmawati, a craftswoman from Limboro Village, Banawa Tengah District, Donggala Regency, who has practiced weaving since she was 13 years old.

“This Subi woven fabric comes from Central Sulawesi. For a piece measuring four meters, the production process usually takes around 15 days,” Rahmawati said.

She also learned the weaving skill as a family tradition passed down through generations. In addition to weaving, she also creates her own fabric designs and motifs. Her products are now marketed in various regions, including Australia.

“I hope the market can be expanded further so that our production can run more smoothly and we can also get better prices,” she said.

In addition to Donggala woven fabrics, Selvi inspected various other craft products made by small and medium industries supported by the council, including Valiri stamped batik from Sigi Regency. The batik features motifs inspired by local cultural heritage, such as Taiganja, Megalithic culture, and the Rau Tree. A variety of rattan crafts, including bags and baskets, also complemented the collection of traditional crafts on display.

According to the Secretariat of the Vice President, the visit to the gallery highlighted the significant potential of Central Sulawesi’s food and craft products, ranging from cocoa commodities processed into value-added products to weaving and handicraft skills passed down through generations.

This potential provides an important foundation for developing the region’s small and medium-sized industries through improvements in product quality and innovation, as well as expanded market access.