Our Farmers
Meet some of our 200+ smallholder famillies who wild harvest organic coconuts each month from their own properties in the villages of Gununur, Napapar, and Vunagogo - all in the region of the Gazelle Peninsula, and the main town of the region being Kerevat on the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea.
Kilala Tatani & Family. Smallholder at Napapar #2, she tells us a little of the process and schedule for an order of 1000 coconuts.
Kilala and her family are one of many smallholders who all regularly supply Niugini Organics with a standard order of 1000 wild-harvested coconuts each month. Orders are scheduled by our Smallholder Coordinator Lavinia Tovue, who is also taking this interview in Kuana, a Tolai language.
Lavinia also ensures organic standards are being met, and does regular field trips to address farmers concerns. An annual audit is also taken of properties by a Australian representative from the OFC for organic certification.
Kilala addresses what many families in the area have faced; fluctuating copra prices and an unstable economy -especially since the relocation of the capital Rabaul due to the 1994 volcanic eruptions. Many businesses never recovered.
So the high market price paid for organic coconuts to smallholders, and consistent demand by Niugini Organics, is highly valuable to the local community.
