Women eager to learn more about coconut products

A WOMEN’S group in East New Britain conducted a roadshow last weekend displaying coconut products made following the government’s encouragement of downstream processing.
The Taulil women’s group is the only group in Gazelle’s Toma-Vunadidir local level government to get skills training in producing virgin coconut oil and soap and putting it to practice.
Group representative Dorcas Moses said the women, all of them mothers, were happy to be part of the programme.
She said the group wanted to learn a skill and have knowledge on one of the most abundant crops in the province and how they could maximise its use and earn a living from it aside from the usual production and sale of copra.
Moses said the group did not have proper facilities and called for support from the district office and provincial government for resources and markets to expand their business.
Ward member Laon Palangat said the women did a one-week training facilitated by the Kokonas Indastri Koporesen (KIK).
He said they produced products including soap and virgin coconut oil.
The group is also producing white copra and rehabilitation replanting programme.