KIK conclude coconut production survey in Milne Bay

A pilot survey specific to the cost of production for coconuts was recently conducted in Milne Bay Province by the Kokonas Indastri Koporesen [KIK].

Its findings will be used to fine tune further survey work rolled out to other coconut producing provinces to enable access to Government’s Price Support grant.

The Government in 2023 announced a K1 million Price Support for the commodity of Coconut, part of a K30 million commitment this term for Price Support and Freight Subsidy for commodities ranging from coffee to cocoa, oil palm and coconut.

But access to this support is pending, with need for proper determination of cost of production for each of these commodities and for coconut, KIK is taking lead.

KIK’s Team Leader Joachim Lummani said after Milne Bay, they will use this template to make survey adjustments and will then roll it out to other coconut producing provinces nationwide.

They were engaged with local farmers a week, asking the hard questions of planting to harvest to market and more.

“It is very important to the coconut industry in the country because the government wants to roll out the price support to the farmers and in order to do that, you need to know the cost of production, commodity production in the country, which means cocoa, coconut, oil palm, rubber and other crops.

“And they have to set the minimum price and the ceiling price in order to do that. But at the moment, they don't have the data on that cost of production and that's why we are here to do that.

“That's why the government withholds the distribution of that funds to the farmers because they need to fix that price stabilization fund before they give out the funds,” Mr. Lummani said.

Milne Bay was all too happy to pilot this survey on cost of coconut production and aired most likely everyone’s concerns that the funding be accessed as soon as.