TOBELO – 25 March 2025, PT Natural Indococonut Organik (NICO) received a visit from the Governor of North Maluku, Sherly Tjoanda along with the Deputy Governor, Sarbin Sehe and the North Halmahera Regency Government. Through this visit, the North Maluku regional government expressed full support for the development of coconut potential and the welfare of local farmers, especially in the Tobelo area.
The arrival of the governor’s entourage at PT NICO was warmly welcomed by the General Manager of PT NICO, Nanang Rismadi, and continued with a company tour to see first-hand the facilities and processing of coconut-based products such as one of the coconut sorting processes to the MamaKoKo coconut milk packaging process, which is one of the superior products from PT NICO.
“One of the things that we are proud of is that we already have British Retail Consortium (BRC) certification, which is very difficult to get, and we are proud that there is a company in North Halmahera that has this standard,” said Sherly Tjoanda during the factory tour.
Governor Sherly also asked a number of questions about the technical and strategic aspects of the company’s management, as well as discussing the development of the coconut industry. The management of PT NICO also gave a presentation on standard operating procedures related to Occupational Health and Safety (K3), located in the MamaKoKo hall. It was explained that the assembly point in the company has been well organized as part of the emergency response system.
PT NICO’s Commitment to Farmer Welfare
The Regent of North Halmahera, Piet Hein, also emphasized that despite the huge potential of coconut, the welfare of farmers is still a major challenge.
“This is where PT NICO comes in to help boost the welfare of coconut farmers and also encourage regional economic acceleration,” said Piet.
The Regional Government has also instructed the Agriculture Office to collect data on farmers, the number of coconut trees, and map the need for rejuvenation of coconut trees that are no longer productive. It is hoped that the close collaboration between the government and PT NICO can create equitable and sustainable economic growth.
Governor: Synergy is Key
In his speech, Governor Sherly highlighted the importance of synergy between government and industry players in managing coconut potential. “We from the Provincial Government strongly support PT NICO’s potential mapping activities regarding the potential of coconut in the long term,”
He also emphasized the importance of replanting coconut trees in order to maintain the quality of crops in accordance with export standards. The Governor has even had direct discussions with PT NICO’s Board of Directors in Jakarta to discuss these strategic steps.
Expansion Plans and Economic Impact
On this occasion, PT NICO presented its next plan, which is to build 7 new factories throughout the North Maluku region. To fulfill the coconut supply from these planned new mills, PT NICO is also establishing Nut Collection Centers (Pancang) in North Maluku, with a total of 86 pancang divided into 2 stages:
- North Halmahera District: 40 pancang with 13,120 employees (each pancang requires 328 employees, of which 110 employees are coconut climbers)
- North Maluku Excluding HALUT : 46 pancang with 15,088 employees
To conclude the visit, Governor Sherly along with PT NICO management representatives, symbolically released two containers of coconut water products to be shipped to Sweden, marked by a ribbon cutting procession. This release also marks the readiness of the coconut industry in North Maluku to compete in the international market.
