By the 1980s, copra production in New Guinea was dominated by two Australian trading companies: Burns Philp and W. R. Carpenter & Co. In 1985 the PNG government established the Copra Marketing Board, to take over copra production in PNG.
Does PNG export copra?
Copra, the dried meat of the coconut, remains one of PNG’s leading agricultural exports, despite global demand declining significantly in recent decades. In 2014, PNG exported more than 48,000 tonnes of copra, which was worth K63.7 million to the country, according to Bank of PNG statistics.
Does Papua New Guinea have a copra industry?
The National’s senior reporter CLIFFORD FAIPARIK looks into the copra industry’s development. THE Kokonas Indastri Koporesen (KIK) and PNG’s copra industry unofficially unites Papua New Guineans who speak some 800 different languages.
Who cultivated copra in New Guinea?
Copra plantations in New Guinea have been cultivated since the late 19th century, originally by German colonialists. They were continued by Australian interests following World War I . Copra is the fourth most significant agriculture cash crop of PNG.