By: Choirul Fuadi)*
CIDISS – Coconut oil is an industry that as good as palm oil. Coconut oil is made from coconut. It will become promising sector if there is developing action. For example is in Pantai Lunci district, Sukamara regency, Central Kalimantan Province, in there, many people cook using coconut oil. People also make and produce the coconut oil. They not only for themselves, but also they sell it.
But, because they are still traditional process in producing the coconut oil, people only produce on low capacity and sell the coconut oil around Pantai Lunci. Even they only use traditional process, but the quality is as good as palm oil.
Mishari, a coconut farmer quote in Borneonews.co.id said that coconut oil production in his village is still low. Some of people prefer to sell it directly rather than process it into coconut oil. The coconut is bought for IDR 5.000 each fruits. Misrhari assumes that the reason also caused the coconut oil production is still low in his district. Meanwhile, coconut oil can be consume for family, or sell it.
The less of people’s interesting to process coconut to be coconut oil as job opportunity; it is caused by the age of coconut trees and traditional system in processing and producing. “Palm oil has no smell, meanwhile coconut oil have smell of coconut. And then, they sell it only around their district,” said Mishari.
He added, many people in his district consume coconut oil in cooking or use it as hair oil. They assume that coconut oil is more hygienist and healthy. “Coconut oil is sold around IDR 15.000 per bottle,” said him.