As a response to the invitation from the Indonesian Coconut Processing Industry Association (HIPKI), Dr. Jelfina C. Alouw, Executive Director, ICC, and the Secretariat team has attended a meeting with the HIPKI, an association of companies engaged in the coconut processing industry strongly supports every effort made by stakeholders to restore the performance and sustainability of coconut in Indonesia. The meeting was held at PT Sari Segar Husada Head Office, Wisma Budi 8th Floor, Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav C-6, Jakarta, on 25 June 2022.
From HIPKI, attended the meeting were Mr. Jeffrey Koes Wonsono (Vice Chairman I/PT Pacific Eastern Coconut Utama), Mr. Rudy Hadiwidjaja (Chief Executive/PT Pulau Sambu), Mr. Dippos Naloanro (Head of Various Coconut Products Industry/PT Mega Innovation Organic), Mr. Erwan Bambang (Deputy Head of Carbon, Briquette and Coconut Coir Industry, CV ECO Indonesian Products), Mr. Indra Satiragani (Head of Coconut Water Industry/PT Sari Segar Husada), Mrs. Heryana Pranayasa (Deputy Chair of Inter, Agency Cooperation and Relations/PT Sari Segar Husada), Mr. Michael Darwis, Deputy Chair III, PT Ikaindo Indonesia Carbonic Industry, Mr. Michael Darwis (Deputy Chair III/PT Ikaindo Indonesia Carbonic Industry). While attended via an online platform were Mr. Hadi Santoso (Member/PT Sasa Inti) and Mr. Amrizal Idroes (Head of Inter-Agency Cooperation and Relations).
Mr. Rudy Hadiwidjaja, Chief Executive, HIPKI delivered the opening speech. Mr. Jeffrey Koes Wonsono, Vice Chairman, HIPKI, shared challenges in the national coconut sector that have not received comprehensive attention and action from all stakeholders. Some of the problems include a decrease in the area of coconut plantations and coconut productivity due to old and aging palms, low replanting, and high import duty rates imposed on processed coconut products from Indonesia to importing countries such as the European Union and China, and high logistics costs.
The conditions above in the long term will have an impact on the sustainability of the coconut ecosystem in Indonesia. Therefore, the Association of Indonesian Coconut Processing Industries emphasized the urgent need to establish a forum of coconut sustainability development platform that is able to accommodate all coconut stakeholders (farmers, processing industries, government institutions, private sector, academics, NGOs, MSMEs, and other beneficiary groups). The platform is expected to be able to play a holistic role in overcoming the problems, from the upstream to the downstream practices.
Dr. Jelfina mentioned that the discussion has provided information, input, and opinion from the Association, and global insight from the ICC. As an intergovernmental organization of coconut producing countries, ICC supports any program of any legal institutions or associations that have clear objectives to support the implementation of sustainable development goals (SDG) for the coconut sector.
Mr. Michael Darwis, Deputy Chair III, HIPKI, closed the discussion and underlined the importance of both parties working together for the sustainability and the future of the coconut sector.