Coconut Coir Crosses the Globe

KOMPAS/MACHRADIN WAHYUDI RITONGA

Yohan Wijaya Noerahmat

Yohan Wijaya Noerahmat’s, 38, thoroughness in looking for loopholes in selling coconut and its derivative products was fruitful. He turns coconut coir, which was originally only a waste, into a product that has successfully crossed the globe to a number of countries.

The Coconut Partner Producers Cooperative (KPMK) in Pangandaran, West Java, offers at least two flagship products made by Yohan and his friends since 2016. The market recognizes the products as cocopeat and cocofiber.

Cocopeat, which is made from coconut coir and is smooth like sand, is used as a planting medium. Coir with coarser fibers becomes cocofiber, which is the raw material for various items, from furniture to premium class vehicle seats.

Thursday (12/11/2020), Yohan showed Kompas one of his warehouses in Cintakarya Village, Parigi District, Pangandaran. Not many products are stored there because most of the warehouse contents have been shipped to several countries.

Exports of the coconut waste reaches 200 tons per month with a value of around Rp 1.5 billion (US$106,156).

Yohan said that the warehouse, measuring 40 meters by 20 m, was rarely full. The inbound and outbound movement of the coconut coir and its derivative products in the warehouse is very fast due to the high consumer demand. Exports of the coconut waste reaches 200 tons per month with a value of around Rp 1.5 billion (US$106,156).

Also read: Weaving until Departing this Life

More than 50 percent of cocopeat is exported to China, while the rest is shipped to Japan and South Korea. Especially for cocofiber, almost all of them are exported to China. All the ingredients, said Yohan, were taken from a coconut plantation owned by Pangandaran farmers.

"At the beginning of the pandemic, this warehouse was full. Shipments of goods to China were not accepted in March-June. However, when exports opened in July, the warehouse was empty again. Even though it\'s a pandemic, we can still be productive," he said.

Returning to hometown

Yohan\'s life has been closely related to coconuts for a long time. His father, Mamat Rahmat, 64, is a coconut farmer. Coconut supports his family. Yohan\'s university tuition fees also come from coconuts.

After university, he did not immediately return to his hometown to process coconuts. He chose to take up the challenge of the metropolis by working in a food processing factory in Cibitung, Bekasi. Only in 2011 did he start to consider coconuts. He saw the great potential of Pangandaran coconut production. Coconut trees are everywhere.

The West Java Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded that in 2016, coconut production in Pangandaran reached 12,623 tons or the third-largest in West Java, even though the land area is only 25,354 hectares. This area reaches 15.1 percent of the total area of Pangandaran, which reaches 168,000 ha.

With that much potential, people only need to find the market. Yohan also tried to find a market with 10 colleagues at Karang Taruna, Cintakarya village.

Also read: Telling a Story with Batik Motif

"At that time, I was selling about 20,000 coconuts per month, with a profit margin of 10-15 percent. [We] sold it to local markets, Bandung and Greater Jakarta,” said Yohan, who finally chose to return to his hometown.

Four years on, Yohan began to be disturbed by the coconut coir waste. The waste should be turned into money. After doing some research, his choice fell on Cocopeat, which was trending in a number of countries.

Also read: Caucasians who Love Sasak Language

After learning from a cocopeat producer in Lampung, Yohan pursued it with his colleagues. In 2016, their efforts were successful. They met a buyer from China. To ensure the sustainability of cocopeat and cocofiber manufacturing, he and his friends founded the KPMK that same year.

KOMPAS/MACHRADIN WAHYUDI RITONGA

Yohan Wijaya Noerahmat di Desa Cintakarya, Kecamatan Parigi, Pangandaran, Kamis (12/11/2020). Ia mampu mengolah sabut kelapa jadi komoditas ekspor bernilai tinggi.

As a beginner exporter, KPMK was initially only able to produce 23 metric tons of cocopeat per year. Everything is exported to China. After raising more capital, the KPMK managed to increase its production capacity to 125 tons a month and now around 200 tons per month.

To produce 200 tons of cocopeat per month, the KPMK requires 1.2 million coconuts. However, KPMK members can only collect 100,000 coconuts a month from 400 coconut farmers. This means that the KMPK can only supply less than one 10th of the production requirement, so they have to find the rest from other sources.

Yohan tries to involve other coconut farmers to supply coconut coir. He dared to buy coconut coir for Rp 10,000 per cubic meter. One cubic meter of coir usually comes from 120 coconuts. From there, people can see that coconut coir waste is valuable.

Now, there are 10 business groups consisting of 100 residents who supply coconut coir. This number consists of 71 cooperative employees and more than 50 residents who are involved in business groups.

"We are now trying to invite 2,500 coconut farmers to collectors to become members. The [coconut for] 2021 target has all been collected," he said.

Yohan was determined to gather coconut farmers because he was aware of the huge market potential. He said the cooperative, with a turnover of Rp 8 billion per month, is actually only able to meet 5 percent of total customer needs.

Also read: Life Calling in the Land of Disaster

Not only that, he also wants his fellow cooperative members to be able to produce their own cocopeat so that their welfare will improve.

"I target all cooperative members to be able to produce cocopeat. If they want to become entrepreneurs, the status of the village will be lifted because here we have superior commodities," he said.

Many well-known car manufacturers have the potential to use cocofiber for their premium seats.

Yohan is optimistic that Pangandaran can supply 30 percent of the customers’ needs if the coconut coir supply target is achieved. Other markets are still open, namely in Europe. Many well-known car manufacturers have the potential to use cocofiber for their premium seats.

"Europe has a higher quality specifications. Therefore, they need goods of stable quality and quantity. This is what I am trying to achieve and convince the public; that we can fulfill it," he said.

Also read: Mission in the Land of Borobudur

If Yohan\'s optimism is passed on to many residents, it is not impossible that Pangandaran will become one of the centers for world-class coconut coir products.

Yohan Wijaya Noerahmat

Place, DOB: Ciamis, Nov. 4, 1982

Highest education: Bachelor’s Degree (S-1) in Chemical Engineering from National Institute of Technology (ITENAS), Bandung (2005)