Agriculture Ministry Distributes 737,000 Coconut Seedlings to Support Downstream Industry in Gorontalo

The Ministry of Agriculture has allocated 737,000 superior local coconut seedlings for the development of 10,000 hectares of coconut plantations in Gorontalo Province as part of a commodity downstreaming programme.

Gorontalo Governor Gusnar Ismail, during a visit to a coconut nursery in Dunggala Village, Batudaa District, Gorontalo Regency, on Thursday, stated that the seedlings would be distributed to farmers across all regencies and cities in Gorontalo to strengthen the supply of raw materials for the coconut processing industry.

“These seedlings are used for coconut development with a downstreaming concept. Coconuts are planted using superior seedlings, and then the yield is processed through industrialisation, thereby providing added value for farmers and the region,” he said.

He explained that the provincial government aims for Gorontalo to have a coconut-based processing industry within the next three to four years, capable of processing various derivative products, not just coconut oil, but also other economically valuable products.

Head of the Agricultural Assembly and Modernisation Agency (BRMP) at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fadjry Djufry, stated that the nursery in Dunggala Village is currently propagating around 473,000 coconut seedlings, which will be used to develop 4,300 hectares of plantations. He noted that 44,000 seedlings have already been distributed to farmers in the first phase.

“The distribution of seedlings is being carried out in three stages and is still in process. We hope that the quality of the nursery can be maintained so that it can support the development of coconut plantations in Gorontalo,” he said.