Programme introduces white copra to farmers

Business

By ROSELYN ELLISON
EAST New Britain Kokonas Indastri Korporesen (KIK) is working to promote and introduce one of its products to the farmers.
Programme manager Ephraim Tade said they plan to introduce white copra marketing to farmers in the province.
Tade told farmers last week that white copra was a high value product on the world market today.
He said KIK would work with farmers in ENB to introduce white copra and had selected farmers from Ramale and Korai ward in the Bitapaka local level government to trial the white copra production.
“These two wards of Ramale and Korai in Kokopo will be the trial wards and if we see the outcome of the white copra production from these two wards, we will roll out the programme to all the other wards.”
Tade explained that it was likely KIK would export two containers this November.
He said a buyer was in the country and interested in buying white copra.
Tade urged farmers to produce quality white copra that would meet world standards.
He said the quality of copra production in the world market had dropped.
He also confirmed that current selling price of black copra was K80 for a bag while the selling price for white copra was between K400 and K500 per bag.
“KIK wants to encourage all the farmers in the province to tap into white copra production but first we must train farmers to produce quality white copra,” he said.