Humble galip goes commercial

By ELIZABETH VUVU
THE rare, indigenous galip nut has been introduced to the commercial retail market for the very first time in Papua New Guinea.
The commercialisation and development of the nut known scientifically as Canarium Indicum, is a joint development between National Agricultural Research Institute Nari, the University of Sunshine Coast and the University of Adelaide, funded by Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).
A major milestone for the project was achieved when the galip nut product was launched on May 4 at Rapopo Plantation Resort in Kokopo, East New Britain.
The new range will be sold under the Galip Nut Company (GNC) brand. Packaged products with extended shelf life were presented to a large gathering of invited guests at the launching.
The galip nuts come in three different flavours – natural, peeled and roasted, and in 60 gram, 100 gram and 1kg foil bags.
The objective for the concerned stakeholders was not only the introduction of a new product into a very competitive retail environment but also to empower local communities to participate in a new industry.
The initiative was implemented to give Papua New Guineans who grow the nut an opportunity to develop a market for their unique product.
Product and market development specialist, Theo Simos from the University of Adelaide says the galip nut is a truly indigenous crop that is not introduced into PNG such as cocoa, coffee and palm oil, from other parts of the world.
“Having worked in food and beverages for 40 years and mainly in international markets as an exporter developing new markets, I can say there are few new novel crops that have potential scale that PNG could exploit globally,” he said.
“It is a fantastic tasting product and a rare development opportunity to do this sustainably without tearing up forests.”
“Developing a new industry can take time and galip could offer logging options as a superannuation investment for growers, providing regular ongoing income to supplement their gardens and cocoa growing.”
He said it also could be an industry where women and family units could participate if the grassroots organisational structures could be developed.
Simos said the Nari operation was a pilot scale operation located in the research centre in Kerevat. Its purpose is to demonstrate the commercial potential of the nut to the private sector.
The operation receives ripe (purple) galip fruit from harvesters and collectors principally collected from wild Canarium Indicum trees in the rainforests or from their gardens.
The fruit is delivered to Kerevat, inspected for quality, weighed and a cash payment is made to the seller.
Last season to end of 2017, some 1000 family units had delivered the fruit bagged in small lots.
Interest in supply grew and the operation has trialled about 150 tonnes to date and that is likely to grow rapidly once retail sales distribution is expanded beyond ENB.
For cocoa growers inter-planting galip trees as shade has the potential to supplement family incomes by 10-20 per cent.
The fruit is taken to the de-pulping room where the pulp is soaked in hot water and then mechanically removed (nut in shell) .
“The pulp is not recovered and utilised as yet but we intend to do more research to find commercial options as we need to do with the surplus shells after cracking,” Simos says.
“We then need to dry the nut to 4.5 per cent moisture to make it safe for storage.”
“This drying phase makes cracking easy to separate the nut from the shell and we do the cracking with hand crackers or with a new modified machine we have purchased from South Africa.”
Simos said there were two immediate regional strategies for test marketing the new product: Zone 1- ENB hotels and supermarket retailers, tourists from cruise boats managed by Carson Waai, sales manager of GNC located at NARI Kerevat and; Zone 2 – Port Moresby, targeting the five star hotels, Prouds Duty Free and selected supermarkets.
“There has also been additional grassroot development work within Gazelle Peninsula, ENB and in Bougainville conducted by University of Sunshine Coast researchers working with other ACIAR funded project teams.”
If testing in Port Moresby is successful then green light will be given for more distribution in other areas of PNG like Lae and potentially in new export markets but in collaboration with private sector partners.
Nari deputy director Dr Akknapally Ramakrishna said it has been two decades of research, hard work and partnership from Nari Kerevat, its Australian partners as well as the European Union.
He said there were many silent players that contributed to achieving the product right from the field worker to the scientist level and management.
ACIAR regional manager for PNG and Pacific, Florence Rahiria said they have assisted Nari Kerevat to further develop its research and manufacturing of galip nut as a commercial product.
She said ACIAR was funding research to help the processing efficiency and foster market development for galip as well as other projects in PNG, many of these with Nari.
Rahiria described the launch of the galip product in commercial form, following a decade of research, as very significant because it was a highly nutritious indigenous nut.
The project now needs to attract interest from private sector investors so that this new industry could be developed.
ENB Governor, Nakikus Konga said the galip nut industry was still in infancy in PNG and the Pacific but has great potential to improve the livelihoods of rural farmers and small-to-medium scale business operators in the country.
He said while the nut was not well known in international markets, there was potential for strong domestic demand.
“All this work done by Nari would not have come about without the assistance of various donor organisations and project implementing organisation partners in Australia. A very strong and continuous funding support comes from ACIAR supporting six different projects on galip since 2003.”
The governor said the European Union supported the pilot factory construction and the sourcing and distribution of over 200,000 galip seedlings in ENB.
Konga said the success of these products on the local market in ENB would enable Nari and its partners to build on domestic markets while investigating value adding and processing opportunities for both domestic and export markets.
He added it would also improve the financial status of smallholders and plantation/block growers, by providing access to markets for their galip produce.