Technical Meeting and training activities conducted by Agriculture Research and Technology Center to empower West Papua farmers. It is hoped that the skills and knowledge of the farmer’s community can increase by training and coach them to process VCO, cooking oil and soap. So the final goal of increasing income, welfare and independence of farmers community can be achieved.
On Monday, October 23, 2017, Head of Agriculture Research and Technology Center (BPTP) West Papua Ir. Demas Wamaer, MP as supervisor of the activities along with the team conducted a Technical Meeting on Coconut Product Introduction in Kabare Village, North Waigeo District, Raja Ampat District.
This activity is part of Sustainable Bioindustry Agricultural System Development program with the aim of applying technological innovation of integrated coconut processing technology to support the development of sustainable Bioindustry Agriculture, especially in Raja Ampat. This activity is expected to have a positive impact on the increase of product added value through the utilization of coconut product waste, which directly contributes to the improvement of farmer’s welfare and also the availability of agricultural products and other products from coconut commodities. This is very reasonable because the local people who are generally Copra Farmers, can acknowledge some post-harvest technology from coconut to produce some excellent products such as VCO (virgin coconut oil), Cooking Oil, Soap, charcoal briquettes, activated charcoal and so on.
About 50 participants from various villages in North Waigeo with their chief was also invited by Mr. Korneles Laponn to attend a meeting. He strongly supports this activity because the community can produce the processed products for themselves or can produce products that can be sold outside the region, especially for tourists where with the introduction of existing technology.
Then, as a follow-up of the previous Technical Meeting in Kabare village regarding the activities of the Sustainable Bioindustry Agricultural System Development program, training and coaching the process of making VCO, edible oils and soaps by Agricultural Technology Body of West Papua was carried out. Located in the District of Raja Ampat, precisely in every village located in North Waigeo District including Kalisade, Kabare, Darumbab, Bonsayor, Asukweri and Andey villages. The event conducted by Pascapanen team BPTP West Papua on 6 November until 9 November 2017.
VCO oil is one of the processed coconuts product that has high selling price because it has many benefits for health and beauty care products. Thus, if the product can be developed in the North Waigeo District, which has coconut as main agricultural commodities, the farmers can increase and enjoy the efficacy of this oil. It is also expected that this business can develop well along with the development of tourism activities in the area. In addition to being made into VCO, other products from processed coconut are made of soap and cooking oil.
It is hoped that the skills and knowledge of the farmer’s community can increase by training and coach them to process VCO, cooking oil and soap. So the final goal of increasing income, welfare and independence of farmers community can be achieved.
Cited from: West Papua Agriculture Research and Technology Center
Keyword: West Papua, West Papua Province, Raja Ampat, West Papua Agriculture Research and Technology Center, Indonesia, Coconut farmers, West Papua farmers, training, technical meeting
