Jakarta (ANTARA) - The EcoNusa Foundation held training to improve\ncopra quality for residents of Semangga District, Merauke Regency, South\nPapua, to encourage coconut processing that achieves higher selling\nvalue and can penetrate broader markets.<\/p>\n
The training, which took place in Urumb Village from 18\u201324 March\n2026, was attended by people from Urumb Village, Matara, Sidomulyo, and\nWaninggap Nanggo.<\/p>\n
One of the residents who participated, Robert M.B., said that until\nnow, copra processing has still been done traditionally by relying on\nsunlight, so the quality of the production results has not been\noptimal.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes after just two days, the copra is already mouldy,\u201d he said\nin an official statement from the EcoNusa Foundation in Jakarta on\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Chair of the Sinai UMKM, Sumarni, hopes that the training\ncan enhance the technical skills of residents so that the copra produced\nis better and has a higher selling price.<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil now, we have been making copra, but we still need to learn\nmore so that the results are better and can sell at a good price,\u201d she\nsaid.<\/p>\n
EcoNusa Programme Associate, Moses Ramsis Boi, emphasised the\nimportance of community cooperation in applying the correct production\nmethods to improve copra quality.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we work together and follow the right methods, the copra from the\nvillage can improve in quality, and the price will surely rise too,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
In the training, participants were equipped with understanding of\ncopra quality standards in terms of physical, chemical, and hygiene\naspects. Good copra must be clean white or light brown in colour, free\nof dirt, and have a moisture content below six percent.<\/p>\n
In addition to theory, participants also carried out direct practice\nfrom selecting coconut fruits, splitting, washing, to the smoking\nprocess. In the smoking process, the fire must not burn large, but just\nenough to produce smoke to optimally reduce moisture content.<\/p>\n
Residents were also taught to make drying racks or para-para using\nlocal materials like bamboo and wood so that the technique can be easily\napplied independently.<\/p>\n
In the evaluation session, most of the copra produced showed quality\nimprovements with dryness levels between two and seven percent.<\/p>\n
Semangga District is one of the areas in Merauke that relies on\nnatural resources for livelihood. In addition to farming and fishing,\nsome communities in villages like Matara and Urumb depend on coconuts as\na source of income, with around 6,000 coconut trees growing around\nMatara Village.<\/p>\n
However, coconut utilisation is still dominated by sales in the form\nof whole fruits, while processing into copra is still limited and does\nnot yet meet market standards.<\/p>\n
EcoNusa states that improving production quality is an important step\nto expand market access.<\/p>\n
Throughout 2025, coconut-based commodities from EcoNusa\u2019s assisted\nareas have penetrated national and international markets, with\nachievements of 69 tons of copra from Kaimana, West Papua, 44 tons from\nSarmi, Papua, and 5.1 tons from East Seram, Maluku.<\/p>\n
With the improvement in copra quality in Semangga, EcoNusa hopes that\nproducts from the area can follow in the footsteps of other regions in\nstrengthening community economies based on local resources in a\nsustainable manner.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/econusa-trains-semangga-merauke-residents-to-improve-copra-quality-1775641921", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }