The Agricultural Quarantine Agency through the Manado Agricultural Quarantine noted that coconut derivative products, in the form of copra, crude coconut oil, coconut oil and coconut cake from North Sulawesi in 2021 recorded an export value of up to IDR 4 trillion. From agricultural traffic data on the IQFAST Barantan system, copra and other coconut derivatives were recorded as export commodities from North Sulawesi Province (Sulut) with the highest value. "The purchase price at the farmer level is also quite good, and of course this is good news for copra farmers," said the Head of Manado Agricultural Quarantine, Donni Muksidayyan Saragih through his press statement, Manado, Friday (21/1/2022). According to him, the purchase price of copra is following the global price trend. At the end of 2021, the price of copra had reached IDR 14,000/kg. The increase in the price of raw materials for coconut oil has made copra a prima donna among local farmers.
Demand for this commodity exports continues to show an increasing trend, to meet the high demand for copra. Apart from North Sulawesi, copra is also imported from various regions, including the North Maluku Islands, Gorontalo, and Central Sulawesi. Copra is trafficked by sea, one of which is through the Bitung Seaport. Copra that is trafficked must be inspected by the Manado Agricultural Quarantine official in the Bitung Work Area before the inter-area plant quarantine health certificate (KT-9) is issued. Certification is carried out for both inter-regional and export traffic. This is important to do to ensure that the quality of the commodities that are trafficked is safe from the Quarantined Plant Destruction Organisms that threaten product quality and biological safety in North Sulawesi. The copra export market from North Sulawesi has always existed. However, the Head of Manado Agricultural Quarantine, Donni, encourages the downstreaming of copra so that it becomes a finished product such as coconut oil. This is intended to improve the economy in North Sulawesi through the export of agricultural commodities. "That way, of course, the economic value will also be higher than we only export in the form of copra," said Donni.
Separately, the Head of the Agricultural Quarantine Agency, Bambang said that his party is currently exploring cooperation with various parties so that export-oriented agricultural areas can have transportation facilities in the form of direct shipments or direct calls. "Through 'direct shipment' or 'direct call' later exporters can send their commodities directly without intermediaries, and can improve logistics efficiency," said Bambang. This is of course in line with the policy of the Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo, which encourages increasing the competitiveness of agricultural products, especially in the global market.
