Province aims to develop white copra

THE East New Britain (ENB) government has met with a team from the Kokonas Indastri Koporesen (KIK) to facilitate the development of white copra in the province.
The provincial government through its executive council will pass policy and plans to focus on this area of the copra industry.
Governor Nakikus Konga said ENB had two pilot farmer groups in different locations, one in Ramale in the Kokopo-Vunamami Urban local level government and Korai under the Bitapaka LLG in Kokopo.
He said there were other interested groups in the province that were working to produce white copra.
“The reason the province opted to do a pilot project is because it’s a new thing and we are trialing it out to allow us to coordinate the project better because the white copra is about quality,” he said.
Konga said white copra experts would inspect the project and facilitate an export pathway for the first shipment of the product.
He said the production of white copra would boost the provincial economy and strengthen and diversify the copra production.
Konga said his government would support KIK roll out its programme in the province.
He thanked the Kokopo development authority for its assistance in the production of white copra and the downstream processing of coconut products along with coconut rehabilitation and replanting programmes through a funding of K600,000.