Encourage IKM To Advance In Class, Ministry Of Industry To Train Coconut Oil Producers In Bitung

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) seeks to build a manufacturing industry sector that is competitive, independent, sovereign and inclusive. Small and Medium Industries (IKM) are one of the focuses of development, given its important role for the economy.

One of the Ministry of Industry's efforts to support IKM to advance to class, namely through optimizing the facilities available at industrial centers, both the availability of physical facilities and guidance by experts.

"The Ministry of Industry continues to carry out coaching and mentoring programs to IKM, in order to be ready to increase its business scale and advance to class. One of them is through the use of industrial technology at the Ministry of Industry's offices," said Head of the Standardization and Industrial Services Policy Agency (BSKJI) of the Ministry of Industry Doddy Rahadi in a written statement, quoted Tuesday, May 16.

Through one of the Technical Implementation Units (UPT) located in North Sulawesi, namely the Manado Standardization and Industrial Services Center (BSPJI), the Ministry of Industry encourages the development of potential resources for the North Sulawesi region, one of which is in Bitung City which is a coconut producer.

Doddy said, UPT BSKJI continues to be committed to building industries, especially IKMs that want to develop. "We are ready to help SMEs who want to optimize their product processing technology. We are supported by competent personnel in this field," he said.

According to Doddy, in Bitung City, to be precise in Sagerat Village, Matuari District, there is an Integrated Coconut IKM Center which is a center for processing coconut products and their derivatives.

This center is a production site for coconut IKM from the Bitung area and its surroundings. All IKMs that produce at this center are coconut oil producers and Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO).

"Currently, there are nine VCO production houses and coconut oil built on an area of 9.675 Ha," he said.

There are several other types of processed coconut products produced by IKM in Bitung, including coconut oil, coconut soap, coconut shell charcoal, coconut charcoal briquettes, coconut sugar, coconutferred and copra. In addition, there are also SMEs that produce derivative products from coconut, such as cakes and coconut chips.

In order to encourage the Integrated Coconut IKM Center to advance to class, the Manado BSPJI Kemenperin collaborated with the Bitung City Government in providing industrial service services through cooperation agreements.

"Bitung has a lot of coconut and has been spoiled with a complete facility port. I really hope that Bitung's original IKM products can be standardized," said Bitung Mayor Maurits Mantiri.

"Bitung coconut products must be highly competitive, both at the local, national and even international levels," he concluded.