Selasa, 5 Oktober 2021 19:00Reporter : Ibrahim Hasan
Merdeka.com –The expanse of old coconut debris that has been split into a unique view in the corner of Lailoyo Baru Village, Bontosikuyu District, Selayar Islands Regency. The expanse of coconut trees does dominate the Selayar area. No wonder coconut commodities are abundant when harvest arrives. Apart from being a raw material for coconut milk, local people are used to processing old coconut into copra. Copra is a derivative product made from dried coconut as the main ingredient. Who would have thought, this dried coconut became the target of various countries abroad. The number of copra exports is inevitable, tens of tons of Sulawesi copra land in parts of Asia such as India, Thailand, Pakistan, and Vietnam. This old coconut, which is often underestimated, turns out to have many benefits. Dried coconut or copra can be used as raw material for making coconut oil. This coconut oil is later used as cosmetic, food, and medicinal products.
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Slowly and carefully, their dexterous hands tried to hold the coconut. After the old coconut is split, then immediately gouged, separated from the coconut shell. As much as possible, carefully gouge the flesh of the coconut, not to make it into smaller pieces. Coconut shells are usually processed into charcoal which has its own selling value.
There are two types of copra in Sulawesi, namely white copra and brown copra. Of course, in terms of appearance, white copra is more attractive. The price is also more expensive white copra, considering how to produce it can not be arbitrary. Traditionally, chocolate copra is dried using a smoking process. While the white copra must go through the stage of drying in the sun.
©2021 Merdeka.com/Muhammad Alif Alim Arifki
Although now brown and white copra has developed copra drying techniques with modern machines. They are Bau Lawang and Tina, one of the white copra producers who still maintain the traditional way of using sunlight as the main heat source.
The main processing of copra is the evaporation of water from the coconut flesh. The initial water content of ±50% is reduced to 5-7% by drying. The rate of evaporation of water is influenced by temperature, surface area, and texture of coconut flesh.
©2021 Merdeka.com/Muhammad Alif Alim Arifki
When the weather is hot, the process of drying copra using the sun can be completed within 2 days. For maximum results, it will be dried again for 3 to 5 days so that the copra is ready to be marketed. In addition, without any equipment maintenance, it does not require fuel. However, the fate is different if the weather is not supportive, cloudy, and even raining becomes an obstacle to traditional copra processing. Humid conditions can expose coconut meat to mold and other microbes.
©2021 Merdeka.com/Muhammad Alif Alim Arifki
If that happens, the copra farmers must create a backup heat source. Copra meat will go through the smoking stage. The main fuel is coconut shell wood and coconut husk from the remaining flesh of the fruit.
The disadvantage of the smoking technique is that it is very likely to produce brown copra due to soot during smoking. Of course the selling price is different from the advantages of white copra. Per kilogram, white copra is sold for Rp. 15 thousand, while brown copra or ordinary copra is sold for only Rp. 9 thousand.wp:paragraph In general, small farmers, such as Bau Lawang and Tina, deposit their copra production to collectors. In the Selayar Islands alone, the white copra produced is at least 24,189.54 tons. That number always increases every year to meet the needs of white copra in foreign countries.
