CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Jan.10 (PIA) – Instead of focusing purely on selling the coconut itself, coconut farmers must find ways to invest on creating by-products of the coconut fruit or the tree to earn more.
Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA-10) Regional Manager Luis G. Cruz said during the press conference of the Kuyamis Festival held at the Misamis Oriental Provincial Capitol Grounds on January 8 that farmers are encouraged to produce by-products of the coconut to earn more.
He cited that one farm in Misamis Oriental earns gross income of P40,000 a month by producing Coconut Sugar (Coco Sugar). This product, he added is best for health conscious individuals especially the diabetics.
He reminds coconut farmers not to dwell so much on oil and copra but look into the new trends and revive commercial product such as the coco sugar.
Meanwhile, Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Food and Agriculture committee shared that nothing can be wasted from a coconut tree.
In her own town in Las Piñas, she said that even when she was still Congresswoman, they made waste coconut husk, charcoal and even organic fertilizer. There are many products to be created from a coconut tree, we just need the machine, she said.
She explained that there are many by-products of the coconut particularly and popular in Europe are the Coco water and the Virgin Coconut Oil. On the other hand, she introduced coco net which is used for erosion control not only in public works but in mining.
She concluded, “It’s all a matter of technology. We have to create new products.”
By:Jasper Marie Oblina-Rucat
Source:http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=2611389258496