Clean cook stoves for coconut sugar producers

SNV developed and tested a new design of clean cook stove in Indonesia with a double burner particularly for making coconut sugar in East Java Province. The stoves are installed with a chimney to release smoke out of the kitchen and make the kitchen safer. SNV’s advisors designed and installed the cook stoves using locally available materials and trained local workers on cook stove installation. The stoves are smoke-free and very efficient compared to traditional ones that reduces about 50 percent of fuelwood consumption.

Mr. Sudirman from Gembuk village and Mrs. Ati from Sanggrahan village have their own coconut farm. They are coconut sugar producers and to make coconut sugar, large amounts of wood is required to cook the coconut nectar for several hours. They usually collect firewood from nearby bushes and forests by cutting live trees and branches. In many cases, they buy expensive fire wood from the market resulting in a higher production cost for coconut sugar.

They met Mr. Suharyoto, SNV’s Agriculture Advisor working for the AIP PRISMA coconut sugar project, and learned that clean cook stoves will save them time precious time from collecting firewood and reduce smoke in the kitchen. This convinced them to install clean cook stoves for their coconut sugar production business.

Once the stoves were installed and they started using them, Mr Sudirman and Mrs Ati experienced a significant reduction in the time spent collecting fire wood, as well as stoves that burned longer hours using less amount of fuelwood, and double burners that halved the cooking time from 4 hours to 2 hours, produced more and better quality coconut sugar and eventually increased family income.

It is estimated that there are about 100,000 coconut sugar producers in Indonesia, and therefore there are good market opportunities to scale up this technology widely.

SNV is also exploring cooperation with village-run enterprises that will provide support with promotion and marketing. Stove installation will be taken as a business by the enterprises and is expected to earn about 16% profit for each cook stove sold.