Ngada Regency in East Nusa Tenggara holds extraordinary agricultural potential, especially in the candlenut commodity. To maximize this economic potential, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) directly assisted residents of Wolomeze Village, West Riung District, to increase the selling value of local candlenut through the application of modern and efficient post-harvest technology.
The program, which took place in early July 2026, was initiated by the Directorate of Community Service and Expert Services (DPMK) and the School of Life Sciences and Technology (SITH) ITB. This strategic step was designed as a follow-up to the findings of the 2025 Patriot Expedition, which identified that the main obstacle for local farmers was the very traditional post-harvest processing methods.
In this activity, an ITB expert team led by Prof. Endah Sulistyawati provided comprehensive training to around 50 residents from Wolomeze Village and Ria Village. The training material covered the entire production chain, starting from fruit sorting, drying, using cracking machines, to airtight packaging. Beyond theory, ITB also donated an electric candlenut cracking machine along with a vacuum packaging tool to be managed by the local Village-Owned Enterprise (BUMDes).
Professor Endah Sulistyawati emphasized the importance of this downstreaming process so that farmers no longer sell candlenut as cheap raw materials. Through the touch of appropriate technology, this local commodity is expected to be processed into semi-finished products or ready-to-consume products that have high competitiveness in a broader market.
As part of institutional capacity building, representatives of village officials and management of BUMDes Wolomeze were also invited to conduct a comparative study to Inegena Village in North Bajawa District. The village has successfully become a model thanks to its ability to independently and professionally manage the candlenut processing industry through its village business unit.
In addition to focusing on the candlenut commodity, the ITB research team also utilized this momentum to conduct a groundwater geoelectric survey in the transmigration area of Uluwae II Village, which has struggled with clean water. This multi-sector synergy is expected to continue to drive economic independence and community welfare in remote areas of NTT.
