It's hoped that the economic benefits of virgin coconut oil production in Tonga will lure young people away from urban centres, and back to their home islands.
Oxfam New Zealand and the Tonga National Youth Congress have been working together to equip the outer islands and some isolated islands, to produce their own organic virgin coconut oil for export.
The chairperson of the Tonga National Youth Congress, Drew Havea, says the production units were set up in the remote islands first, because they were most in need of a means of income.
He says he also hopes this will attract young people back to their communities.
"Where they can make a difference and they can see that this is a place where not only they make a difference but they should be inspired because this is where their parents and this is where they grew up, rather than moving in to the urban centre."
Drew Havea says the remote islands also have better quality of coconuts, with less coconuts needed to fill a 20 litre bucket of coconut oil than the larger centres.
