Mama-Mama Papua, being Creative through Coconuts

Mama-mama Papua learn how to make coconut flour. Photo: NSLIC/NSELRED

One year has passed since the Phase II Responsive Innovation Fund (RIF) program successfully supported women in Sidey Village to be able to produce high quality coconut-based products. Mama-mama Papua (translated from Bahasa Indonesia as Papuan mothers of this area) were assisted intensively in producing Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO), Coconut Flour, and Coconut Shell Briquette which is commonly used for cooking fuel.

 “Coconuts are very abundant in our village. We usually consume this coconut ourselves because we don’t know what to make,” said Mama Baransano, Head of the Tanjung Kelapa.

Tanjung Kelapa is a Joint Village-Owned Enterprises (BumdesMa) Sidey Maju Bersama-assisted business group which consists of mama-mama Papua. Apart from taking care of their children and husbands, mama-mama Papua are eager to help the family economy. The fathers who mostly work as farmers and fishermen have not been able to meet the needs of their families, especially in times of crisis, such as the current COVID 19 Pandemic, which has affected their income.

Since 2020, mama-mama Papua have started making their own products. SYCO, which is how they have labeled the products, stands for Sidey Coconut. Initially they only sold the product around their village, such as to the nearest shops or by selling it directly from house to house. Now mama-mama Papua utilize online media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp to increase their reach, as taught by the RIF program through digital marketing training. The online marketing ensures the products can be sold outside the sub-districts and even outside West Papua Province. Many people are also interested in reselling their products so that their sales increase and reach more areas.

Mama Baransano and the Tanjung Kelapa group need to make several innovations and trials to produce quality products. Every month, they are able to process 2000-3000 coconuts with an average profit of more than ten million rupiah. According to her, the limited capital makes its production still limited.

“Sidey is exposed as a beach tourism destination. We really want SYCO products to attract the attention of visitors and become Sidey’s special souvenirs,” she said.

What is no less important, according to her, is that mama-mama Papua especially the “Tanjung Kelapa” business group can obtain a Licensing of Home Industry Products (Perizinan Produk Industri Rumah Tangga or PIRT) and Halal certifications in the future in order to cooperate with hotels, mini markets, food stalls, and others in the Sidey area, Manokwari Regency.

###