Brief History

The Kokonas Indastri Koporesen of PNG is a statutory regulatory institution for the coconut industry in Papua New Guinea. Prior to the establishment of KIK, the Copra Marketing Board (CMB) of PNG controlled all copra trading from 1957 to 2001.

The passage of the Kokonas Indastri Koporesen Act 2002 (KIK Act 2002) led to the establishment of KIK to;

1. Control and regulate the production, processing, marketing and export of coconut product; and
2. Promote the investment in and consumption and export of coconut products; and
3. By itself or in co-operation with other persons or bodies, to promote or enage in research and development programmes for the benefit of the coconut industry; and
4. Promote or engage in downstream processing of coconut products by itself or in co-operation with other persons or bodies for the benefit of the coconut industry; and
5. Engage in extension services and related programmes by itself or in co-operation with other persons or bodies for the benefit of the coconut industry; and
6. Compile statistical data on production, imports and exports of coconut products and to be familiar with production trends throughout the country and provinces and internationally; and
7. Grant licenses and registrations; and
8. Keep a register of licences and registrations; and
9. Formulate a register of coconut products grading systems for each of the coconut products; and
10. When required by the Minister, to act as an agent for. And to carry out the obligations of the State in international forums or agreements relating to coconut or coconut products; and
11. Provide policy advice to the Government concerning coconut industry matters.

Legislative changes as stipulated in the KIK Act 2002 enabled the deregulation of copra marketing and promotion of downstream processing of other HCVPs in PNG.

The deregulation of copra marketing allowed for more private buyers and exporters to enter the market thus providing more competition and relatively better prices than the CMB of the past.