Forestry

Enhancing private sector-led development of the canarium industry in Papua New Guinea (Phase 2)

Papua New Guinea nuts
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Map of Papua New Guinea

Overview

This project aims to target barriers to private sector investment in the canarium industry by improving supply, further enhancing efficiencies in the production and processing systems and further developing both domestic and export markets for processed galip nuts

Worldwide, around 350 million people depend on forests as their primary source of food, nutrition and medicine. In Papua New Guinea, the indigenous galip tree (canarium indicum) occurs naturally throughout various lowland provinces. However, the emerging canarium industry is at a critical phase and needs to harness the momentum built by the current and previous research undertaken.

Overall, this project is assisting future growth in nut supply and to better understand the indigenous galip weevil pest, which is destroying some planted galip trees. In addition, the project is investing in developing new high value niche product concepts and market test those to broaden the market potential for investors.

Expected project outcomes

  • Improving the commercial viability of business models for galip nut processing.
  • Demonstrating sustainable value chains to foster private sector market development of domestic, retail, food service, industrial and online/export channels.
  • Empowering women to participate in the galip value chain.
  • Enhancing nut supply and nut quality by improving production of galip nuts. 

Annual progress

2021-22

  • Transition to private sector processing: Devine Management Services (DMS), a private sector processor, is now supplying galip to CPL supermarkets. This indicates a transition to private sector processing and is very positive for the industry.
  • Impacts on smallholders: Surveys of smallholders participating in the galip industry indicate that 70-90% will save the money made from selling galip. Most money is spent on food, clothes and school fees.
  • Project outputs adopted in Indonesia: The project has provided operating procedures and technical information for Canarium indicum nut processing to FairFlavor, a food tech start-up in the prototype stage focusing on non-dairy alt-protein made of Indonesian Kenari nuts (Canarium indicum).  Indonesian farmers producing nuts for FairFlavor are now using information in the Standard Operating Procedures manual and training material developed by the galip nut project team.