Enhancing private-sector-led development of the Canarium industry in Papua New Guinea
Date
2024
Authors
Ashford, G.
Grant, E.
Hannett, D.
Hannett, G.
Hodges, B.
Hosseini-Bai, S.
Johns, C.
Jones, K.
Kill, E.
Komolong, B.
Editors
Race, D.
Wettenhall, G.
Wettenhall, G.
Advisors
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Book chapter
Citation
Raising Trees and Livelihoods, Experiences of integrating trees into smallholder farming systems, 2024 / Race, D., Wettenhall, G. (ed./s), Ch.12, pp.255-277
Statement of Responsibility
Helen Wallace, Shahla Hosseini Bai, Elektra Grant, Brett Hodges, Emma Kill, Bruce Randall, Birte Komolong, Carson Waaii, Dalsie Hannett, Godfrey Hannett, Simaima Kapi Ling, Craig Johns, Theo Simos, Tio Nevenimo, Kim Jones and Graham Ashford
Conference Name
Abstract
Nut trees in agroforestry systems have huge potential to improve livelihoods in developing countries. Only 5 species of nuts make up 90% of world trade even though global demand and consumption of nuts has doubled in the last decade. Many indigenous nut species have been domesticated in traditional agroforestry systems but have not been commercialised. Canarium indicum is an indigenous agroforestry tree of the South Pacific that produces nuts with high nutritional value, along with timber and shade for crop plants. This species is culturally significant to the coastal communities of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and has been traditionally processed for thousands of years. We report on a series of projects in PNG that have developed semi-commercial processing methods for nuts of C. indicum. Research over 2 decades has developed systems that can be scaled up and adapted to large-scale processing. The key challenges that needed to be solved were systems and processes for de-pulping (removing the flesh around the shell), cracking (removing the nut from the shell) and drying. Consequently, we developed a variety of methods for both small-scale and larger-scale operations. In 2015, we set up a demonstration factory based on our processing research and tested the market demand for C. indicum nuts in PNG. The demonstration factory more than doubled production of processed nut products each year and by the end of 2018 over 1,300 farmers and entrepreneurs were selling nuts to the demonstration factory. Over 2,000 smallholders are now participating in the emerging Canarium industry in PNG, and this new industry has already improved livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
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© Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) 2024 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from ACIAR, GPO Box 1571, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia, aciar@aciar.gov.au