REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MANADO -- Europe's demand for coconut flour products from North Sulawesi remained high at the end of 2015 due to the rising need for these commodities in several countries in the world.

"At the end of this year, the demand for coconut flour in European countries is increasing," Head of the North Sulawesi Trade and Industry office Jenny Karouw stated here, Wednesday.

She noted that in mid-November 2015, tens of tons of coconut flour had been exported to Italy and the Netherlands due to the Christmas and New Year festival season as these raw materials used in baking are highly popular in the European community.

A total of 26 tons of coconut flour was exported to Italy, earning US$36,140 worth of foreign exchange for the country.

As much as 13 tons of coconut flour was exported to the Netherlands and earned US$21,600 in foreign exchange.

The farmers and exporters in North Sulawesi should capitalize on the high demand for coconut flour at the end of 2015, she added.

"This opportunity must be put to good use by the exporters in North Sulawesi to earn as much as foreign exchange as possible," she explained.

She said the government will act proactively, and her team will make efforts to find new markets to increase the number of export destinations for North Sulawesi's commodities.

She explained that coconut flour is a derivative product obtained after processing coconut, with Manado, North and South Minahasa districts, and Bitung being the key production centers.

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