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Value chain workshop to propel growing coconut industry in the Pacific

Wednesday, 19 July 2017 15:54 Zarin Khan
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Value chain workshop

10 Jul 2017 | Nadi

A workshop aimed at improving the coconut industry in the Pacific will be held in Nadi this week involving over 50 stakeholders from around the region and experts from South East Asia and the Caribbean.

Local farmers, regional traders, farmer cooperatives, non-governmental organisations, industry consultants, and representatives from key trading partners and actors from all levels of the industry will come together for the three-day workshop from 11-13 July.

 

 

 

The “Coconut Industry Development for the Pacific Value Chain Stakeholders Workshop” is organised by the Coconut Industry Development for the Pacific project (CIDP), a EUR 4 million (FJD 9.33 million) joint initiative with the Pacific Community (SPC), the European Union (EU) and the African Caribbean & Pacific Group of States (ACP).

Participants will have the opportunity to take a 360-degree view of the trends, opportunities, constraints and challenges that the industry and stakeholders face. The information exchange, varying perspectives, in-depth discussions and creative solution finding in the workshop will form the basis for developing an operational plan with key activities and priorities to be implemented by the CIDP project.

“Without a doubt, coconuts are highly significant for daily subsistence and economic and cultural value in the Pacific. The ‘tree of life’ is abundant in our islands and provides not only a direct source of cash income for those in the rural areas, but also a myriad of products that are useful. In food security, land stability, construction and building, beauty and skincare, cultural production, transportation, and even in mixed production systems where copra meal can be used as a source of protein for cattle and livestock, coconuts feature prominently in almost all aspects of day-to-day Pacific life”, said the Director of the Land Resources Division of the Pacific Community, Mr Jan Helsen.

The workshop will include a “Coconut Market Place” where participants will show examples of their products and innovations and share ideas about new product development and market opportunities.

“Identified as one of the most important agricultural crops in the Pacific Islands, a multitude of opportunities are rapidly emerging in the sector that will bring positive effects in local economies and livelihoods around the region. Despite all this, the coconut sector in all Pacific Island countries is behind in reaching its full potential”, said Ms Karen Mapusua, Team leader for the CIDP.

”CIDP was established to address these issues and developments, and is determined to bolster the coconut sector through improving the competitiveness of small producers, strengthening regional integration of related markets and intensifying production. By bringing together diverse industry stakeholders for this workshop, CIDP will be able to identify priority areas for training, needs for potential study tours and develop robust value chain road maps. Ms Mapusua further added that the workshop is an excellent platform to provide private sector members exposure to examples of innovation in the coconut sector from their Pacific neighbours and the international arena”.

About Coconut Industry Development for the Pacific (CIDP):

Coconut Industry Development for the Pacific (CIDP) is a joint initiative of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the European Union (EU) as part of a broader economic partnership between the EU and the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) states. The aim of CIDP is to bolster the coconut sector in the region through improving the competitiveness of small producers engaged in the coconut value chains, strengthening regional integration of related markets and the intensification of production across the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. The programme runs from 2016-2018 and is valued at EUR 4 million.

For more information visit Lrd website – coconut industry development for the pacific

 

Media contact:

Karen Mapusua, CIDP Team Leader, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or +679 337 0733

Last Updated on Wednesday, 26 July 2017 09:56  

Newsflash

Wednesday 15 October 2014, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) – Suva, Fiji: UN Women and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) commemorated International Day of Rural Women with an event that showcased stories from rural women themselves and culminated in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Through the MoU, UN Women and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) – European Union (ACP-EU)-funded SPC implemented “Building Safety and Resilience in the Pacific Project” (BSRP) will work in collaboration to ensure the different needs, capacities, constraints and social roles of women and men are included in the design and implementation of the BSRP project activities. It is also aimed at strengthening the capacity of the 15 countries that the BSRP works in.

UN Women’s Deputy Representative for the Fiji Multi-Country Office, Nicolas Burniat, signed the MoU on behalf of UN Women and highlighted the importance of including women and girls to ensure the sustainability of climate change and disaster risk reduction strategies. The ACP-EU SPC BSRP project aims to reduce the vulnerability, as well as the social, economic and environmental costs, of disasters caused by natural hazards in the Pacific.

Inoke Ratukalou, Director of Lands Resources Division and Officer in Charge at SPC, says the MoU will play a big part in ensuring gender mainstreaming across the project’s activities.