VIQUEQUE, 11 august 2022 (TATOLI) – Viqueque Tane-Malu Credit Cooperative (KKTM) began the edible oil production from local coconut fruit, in Naeboruk Hamlet of Uma-Uain Kraik Village, in Viqueque Vila Administrative Post of Viqueque Municipality.
The local cooking oil producers had been trained by the ADRA and Golp NGO on the production of coconut cooking oil.
“The NGOs like ADRA and Golp supported us with the training on the production of edible oil in february this year. After the training, we began producing the coconut cooking oil called ‘Minuvi’. Here are the raw materials for making the ‘Minuvi Oil’; ginger, carrot, and dried coconut,” the Coordinator of the KKTM, Jelaurina Nunes Fernandes told TATOLI, at the KKTM’s office, in Viqueqaue, yesterday.
She said to produce the coconut oil, KKTM bought dried coconut fruits from the communities, saying one dried coconut fruit cost US$0.10.
KKTM has so far produced 235 liters of Minuvi Oil and sold them to the consumers in Viqueque municipality.
“Every day we produce at least 20 liters of Minuvi. We charge US$10.5 for a five-liter of Minuvi Oil. Not only selling our products here in Viqueque, but we also distributed 25 jerrycans of the 5 liters Minuvi to Leader and Agricultural supermarket in Dili, earlier this month,” she said.
Fernandes said: “Some consumers preferred KKTM to deodorize our edible oils to strip them of unwanted odor.”
“We have some consumers who want us to deodorize Minuvi. As the odor of the Minuvi is still so strong and they wanted us to make it like the Bimoli Cooking oil. The problem is Bimoli is made of Macau Coconut and Minuvi is made of the local coconut. We have tried to use various raw materials to strip off the unwanted odor but it seems hard,” she said.
Fernades emphasized that due to the demand for cooking oil in Timor-Leste is growing, saying, therefore, KKTM will put effort to increase the production of the Minuvi Cooking Oil in the future.
“We plan to increase the production of Minuvi to support the implementation of the Government’s Cesta Basica Program in Viqueque municipality. So, we have collaborated with 10 Local Cooperatives in Viqueque to support us with the dried coconut fruit,” he added.
She stressed that increasing the production of the Minuvi will contribute to reducing the country’s reliance on imported cooking oil from other countries.
KKTM employed 40 workers and has generated more than US$700 in revenue since the start of the production of the Minuvi.
Journalist: Vitorino Lopes da Costa
Editor: Julia Chatarina/ Nelia Borges
Translation: Filomeno Martins
