Nut workshop attracting participants abroad

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Calls have been coming in from PNG and Solomon Islands, wanting to send participants to attend the upcoming South Pacific Nut (SPN)nangae and natapoa nut training workshop from August to November, after alerted through the Daily Post website issue of 8th March, 2014.

But it is exclusive targeting Ni Vanuatu potential nut farmers. The harvesting of natapoa has started and with the first 100 kilo coming from Ambae and Emae, it involves many farmers, but mostly women.

The harvesting of natapoa will continue till July and nangae harvest from August to November. SPN estimates a production of four tons of natapoa kernel sun dry at Vt800 vatu per kilo and 10 ton nangae kernel with testa at Vt700 per kilo.

Tongoa women are the champions when it comes to cracking nangae nuts, with 82 kilos of nut in shell in 18 kilo kernel using two (laplap) stones. The islands of Paama and Tongoa are small, but 10 years ago buyers were buying nangae at a quantity of several millions annually and SPN had to stop due to quality.

SPN expects participants mainly from Malekula, from the south, Aulua, Tisman, Sarmeth, Wala, Worwor and north west Malekula, Hog Harbor nangae, south, north east areas on santo, Ambae Father E Mala from Longana with potential nuts ,Paul Ren, ex member Parliament from Maewo will send a team, Pentecost, Ambrym, Nguna and Shefa Islands. Again many have been refused, in particular if they are not potential nut farmers.

Every farmers coming in the training workshop can airfreight nuts every day during their stay to supply fresh crack nangae will to help the farmers offset the cost of transport, accommodation and food.

Nut workshop attracting participants abroad | Vanuatu Daily Post

Rewriting the production of Pacific High value crops

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The Kava store has embarked and completed a research on how the use of solar food dryer rewrite Tamarind production in Lelepa and Havana area and Nangae nut on Nguna, much to the surprise of many Pacific scientists.

The realization and utilisation of the solar food dryer could now provide for thousands farmers, under the trees to maximize profit and taking control to semi value product.

It was developed and modified by Charles Longwah and engineers Miss Telia Curtic, Dr Richard Corkish, head of the school of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering.

The project which was co supervised by professor Robert Fuller, renowned solar dryer expert from Deakin University and Charles Longwah completed value addition and preservation on every Agriculture crop in Vanuatu on how to preserve the produce in two years.

Last month with Miss Electra, a scientist at the Sunshine Coast University of, research work on all analytic, national, humidity of Vanuatu Tamarind. The findings will be release soon this year.

Nangae nut is one most dedicate nuts in the world, when cracked for three it cannot be value added.

The Kava store technique in 2013, “results in a perfect Nangae nut without oxidation and rancid,” says Kava Store entrepreneur Longwah.

Preservation and value adding training for the people of Santo

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Around 60 participants from Santo rural and surrounding Luganville will attend a ten days preservation and Value adding training on local crops starting Monday next week Funded by TVET and World Vision it will be conducted by Kava’s store Charles Long Wah at the Agriculture College with the aim to boost the income earning capacity of rural farmers and improve food security (in off seasons) and processing at the village level.

“My techniques of value adding of natural produce is unique, whether to the most remote village or town with only a saucepan and spoon, now with a solar food dryer,” said Long Wah, after conducting similar workshops for 20 years all over north and south Pacific to hundreds of Pacific islanders. “These ten days training will upscale productivity and pass on lifetime skills of value adding a product in syrup, pastes, flavoring in tamarind, preserved mango, pineapple, pawpaw, nandau, naus, soursop, chutney, chilly and tamarind and candy (coconut).

“Equipped with four solar dryers we will be able to make over 100 semi and value added agricultural crops with no costs and obtain much safe food security with abundant in fruits, spices, indigenous nuts, root crops and bread fruits going to waste each year in the rural areas.

This, he said, will significantly decline in the coming months, in particular aggregated crops such as root crops, nut in shells, low value vegetables, fresh kava, fruits to town, ships and high costs of transportation.

“The Vanuatu market has not change much in the past 60 years, it is based mainly in low value crops with miserable profits, eventually creating more conflicts between farmers having the same agriculture crops generating mass exodus to urban drift and more poverty.

“We must produce the volume of agricultural crops in rural areas before we can talk about export.”

Solar crop dryer can revolutionise nangai production: Longwah | Vanuatu Daily Post

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Nangai nuts Sourced Online

A solar crop dryer is the answer to high costs of nangai (canarium indicum) transportation, heavy nut volume, and the deterioration of the nut quality within 24 hours after falling from trees, says long time South Pacific nut entrepreneur, Charlot Longwah. The next season of nangai starts from September to December and Mr Longwah revealed just last month Kava Store embarked and completed a research on how the use of a solar food dryer can rewrite the production of nangai in the Pacific, the first in the Pacific to obtain a solar semi dry product to value add for domestic market and the potential to gradually value-add from Vt40 per kilo to Vt1,000 a kilo to Vt3,000 and Vt6,000 per kilo for Japanese, Australia and New Caledonia customers.

“It will be a bottom up approach or under the nangai tree or plantation,” he said. “The existing villages in Vanuatu have over 200 sites from 100 to over 1,000 nangae trees, existing mostly in the remote areas. “By minimising oxidation the first 24 hours after the nut falls from the tree to reduce moving the volume in Nuts In Shells(NIS) with solar food dryer contributed to less 90% of total weight, contributing 75% reducing electricity costs to the factory,90% less costs of air/sea freight and land transportation. “Farmers end up with a super semi product,” Longwah said. But he pointed out farmers need extensive training by cracking nuts, removal from the testa with blanched kernel and directly placing it in solar food dryer to dry.