Coconut Riches! PNG’s 16 Million Trees Could Bring Billions

Coconut Riches! PNG’s 16 Million Trees Could Bring Billions

Papua New Guinea is home to approximately 16 million coconut trees spread across 96,000 hectares of land, presenting significant economic potential for the country, according to Kokonas Indastri Koporesen (KIK) Managing Director Alan Aku.

Aku made this statement during the opening of the 2024 World Coconut Day celebrations held in Port Moresby yesterday. He revealed that KIK had taken five months to count all coconut trees in the country, making it the first commodity in PNG to have an accurate count of trees.

Aku emphasized that this data would aid in plantation appraisals, providing essential information for replanting and planning. The initiative involved the use of technology, including drones and artificial intelligence, over a period of seven years to develop a system for accurately counting coconut trees.

He explained that drones and satellite imagery were utilized to differentiate coconut trees from other palms. The census, which took five months, was conducted at the provincial, district, local level government, and ward levels.

International Coconut Community Executive Director Jelfina Alouw highlighted the global economic significance of the coconut industry. She stated that the industry generated over US$14 billion (K54 billion) annually, with coconut water alone contributing more than US$6 billion (K23.5 billion) in 2023. Additionally, coconut oil, virgin oil, flour, cream, and milk generated over US$5 billion (K19.6 billion).

Alouw added that coconut shell and husk products contributed US$600 million (K2 billion) and US$400 million (K1.6 billion) respectively, noting that coconuts can produce over 100 different products.

Also read

• ACP N'Dranou Warns Stakeholders Against Misuse of PNG Police Force

• ​PNG defence Minister Joseph Urges Regional Cooperation to Address Security Threats

• Victory Secured! Sir John Pundari Walks Free as Court Dismisses Election Case