By Benorah Carrie Hesehing in Wewak-ESP
Local copra producers in the East and West Sepik provinces have now been given the reason to return to work on their small to large coconut plantation and copra dryer in preparation to enter the market in April 2024.
Petrus Kobio Ailabain who is a strong copra producer and local buyer in Kauk village, ward 14 of Dagua LLG of Wewak, East Sepik Province said it was heart-warming for the copra producers to finally have a market in the province.
”The fall in copra market have caused many people to lose interest in copra production and general coconut farming activities.
”As a local buyer, I suffered too because I had no market in town where I can buy and resell,” he said. Petrus usually buy and resell in Madang but the market fell and his business activity also suffered alongside the people.
He said Dagua area is known to be the main supplier of copra to the Copra Marketing Board(CMB) before. When CMB left Wewak, the copra producers and their family suffered greatly . In the midst of trying to make ends meet for the family, they abondoned the coconut plantations.
But on Mushu Island, it was a little different as Coconut is one of the two main income source, they opted to virgin coconut oil production. However, they weren’t able to use all the coconut and the seed nuts continues to become wasted and grew out under matured palms.
With this informed understanding, the Sepik Coconut Development Officer, Allan Wawah took a team of 13 copra producers and interested coconut farmers by boat to Madang via Angoram to learn white copra production and secure market recently.
“This was a sucessfully quest as the team learned how to produce white copra from Malala Corporative Society in a farmer to farmer training. And we also secured market for the Sepik region copra producers”, he said.
Coconut Resources Limited(CRL), the Kokonas Indastri Koperesen(KIK) subsidiary will be in Wewak in April 2024 and go to specific buying points in the communitues to buy white copra.
He said the transaction will be processed cashless in the rural and the money be paid through Mi Bank account.
“Thus all copra producers in the Sepik region, including coconut farmers are encouraged to have a bank account with Mi Bank to ensure efficiency in the tramsaction process.
“We have been challenged to supply a total of 33 tonnes of copra and we can beat this. “Sepik have the history of working in coconut plantation before and it is their nature. The team of 13 have captured all the necessary information and are currently doing model dryers and required training on Virgin Coconut Oil production and coconut farming and white copra awareness in preparation for the 2024 year of business,” Mr Wawah said.
Meanwhile, the coconut replanting and seed distribution program including virgin coconut oil production is going strong in the two provinces. Mr Wawah said KIK Wewak is looking forward to establishing an office space in Maprik to cater for the people of Sepik Central region.
