Indonesia's cocoa production may rise to as much as 600,000 tonnes this year, compared with 520,000 tonnes in 2007, due to better weather conditions, senior industry officials said on Thursday.

"Cocoa plants need more water. It is good that this year's dry season will be wetter than last year's," Zulhefi Sikumbang, secretary general of Indonesian Cocoa Association (Askindo), told Reuters by phone.

Indonesia is the world's third-largest cocoa producer. Cocoa output fell to 520,000 tonnes in 2007, from 590,000 tonnes in 2006, because of a prolonged drought in the previous year.

The country's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency has released its dry season forecast, saying that this year's will be wetter than in the last two years.

Halim Razak, chairman of Askindo, said he expects the harvesting season to start in April.