With the aim of developing a sustainable coconut sector in North Sulawesi, on June 8, 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Government of North Sulawesi Province and the International Coconut Community. The signing was carried out by Mr. Olly Dondokambey, S.E., Governor of North Sulawesi and Dr. Jefina C. Alouw, Executive Director, ICC. Located in the North Sulawesi Governor's Office at the Bank Sulut Go, Ravindo Tower, 5th Floor, Jl. Kebon Sirih No. 75, Central Jakarta.
Also attending as witnesses in the signing of the MoU were Dr. Ir. Saleh Mokhtar, M.P., Director of Seeds for Estate Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, and Ir. Syafaruddin, Ph. D., Director of the Indonesian Center for Estate Crops Research and Development, Ministry of Agriculture, and Yeittij Roring, S.P., Head of Estate Crops Department, North Sulawesi.
The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding is to build an effective relationship between the two parties in technology transfer efficiently and to increase capacity in various aspects of coconut sector development.
The meeting also discussed strategies to address the challenges facing the coconut sector in Indonesia in general, and in North Sulawesi in particular. Various challenges faced by the coconut sector include limited coconut seeds to rejuvenate senile and unproductive coconut plants, low production and productivity, land use change, scarcity in raw materials, tariff barriers for coconut exports, supply chain, logistics, and efforts to increase the added-value of coconut products.
Governor Olly Dondokambey also expressed his support for providing nursery land and empowering local farmers to develop coconut hatcheries, while Dr. Jelfina C. Alouw conveyed ICC's commitment to providing international experts in the field of seedling technology using tissue culture methods to provide training and technology transfer for North Sulawesi researchers to accelerate the multiplication of coconut seeds, which currently does not meet the national coconut seeds needs.
Through this memorandum of understanding, both parties are committed to strengthening cooperation in supporting the government in establishing policies for the development and implementation of its programs in the coconut sector.