North Halmahera – North Halmahera Regent, Dr. Piet Hein Babua, M.Si, emphasized the local government’s commitment to supporting the coconut downstreaming program as an effort to improve community welfare and regional competitiveness.
In an interview with CNN Indonesia, the Regent explained that around 80% of North Halmahera’s population are farmers, making the development of the coconut industry very important. The government is also providing ample opportunity for the private sector to invest.
“If the private sector develops, then the region will also develop. Therefore, we provide full support to one of the coconut industries in North Halmahera, namely PT NICO, to maintain the sustainability of this program,” said Regent Piet Hein.
As a tangible form of support, the local government has issued Regional Regulation No. 2 of 2025, which prohibits raw coconuts from being exported from North Halmahera. Only semi-finished products, such as copra or processed products from PT NICO, are allowed to be marketed outside the region.
The regent also highlighted PT NICO’s success in penetrating the global market, with processed coconut products already exported to China, Italy, Germany, and even Russia. The presence of this industry has had a positive impact, one of which is making copra prices in North Halmahera more competitive for local farmers.
With the synergy between the government and industry, coconut downstreaming in North Halmahera is expected to continue to grow and provide tangible benefits for the community.
