Papua Governor Inspects Copra Warehouse of Yora Mekhande Jaya Cooperative, Sarmi
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Governor of Papua, Mathius Fakhiri, together with the Regent of Sarmi, Dominggus Catue, visited the copra warehouse of the Yora Mekhande Jaya Cooperative in Anus Village, Sarmi Regency, Papua, on Thursday, May 14th, to observe the copra production process and engage in dialogue with cooperative leaders and workers.
The Governor of Papua, Mathius Fakhiri, expressed his appreciation for the cooperative’s performance in promoting copra development in Papua.
“Please remind me about the final shipment in late May,” said Mathius while speaking with cooperative leaders.
The Treasurer of the Yora Mekhande Jaya Cooperative, Jamina Rumbewas, stated that the cooperative had shipped 60 tons of copra to Surabaya in three shipments during the period from January to April 2026.
“Meanwhile, in 2025, we shipped approximately 45 tons,” she said in an official statement on Friday.
She explained that the cooperative, which was established in 2022, was formed by local communities with the support of the EcoNusa Foundation and is now one of the main drivers of copra development in Papua.
The Yora Mekhande Jaya Cooperative collects copra from the Bonggo Timur, Bonggo Barat, and Pantai Timur Jauh districts. In addition, the cooperative’s operational area also includes Jayapura, Biak, Nabire, and Merauke.
Jamina said that the largest copra supplier in the Sarmi region comes from Kaptiau Village. In addition to buying copra at a higher price than collectors, the cooperative also implements a barter system for local communities.
“Because the main challenge there is poor access,” she said.
She mentioned that the distance from Kaptiau Village to SP 2 Bonggo, the location of the large store, takes about 1.5 hours by motorized vehicle. Meanwhile, the distance to Sarmi City is about three hours.
The barter system is considered helpful for residents because previously, people had to travel for hours to buy household necessities or work tools.
With this system, residents can order necessities from the cooperative, which are then exchanged for the copra they produce.
“The distance is far, having to shop there is exhausting,” said Herman Makai, one of the residents of Kaptiau Village.
During the visit, the Governor of Papua and the Regent of Sarmi also inspected the copra production process in the cooperative’s warehouse and gathered input from leaders regarding business development and the distribution of production results.