Bright prospects for coco sugar industry

Davao City (6 May) -- The Philippine Coconut Authority in Region XI is optimistic about the tree of life and the industry that it supports.

Lornito Orillanada, Regional Manager of PCA XI during the Kapihan sa Dabaw at Sm City Davao last Monday (May 4) said that they are expecting an increase in copra prices. He said that big milling companies like Franklin Baker and Legaspi are buying copras already at P20 compared to last week's price of P15-17.

He said this is due to the rising prices of copra in the world market. Orillanada said that the low prices that the copra industry suffered were due to the waning demand in the world market due to the global economic crisis.

Orillanada noted that because of the low copra prices, some farmers have already engaged in whole nut trading rather than processing it to copra. The increase in copra prices would be beneficial not just to the coconut farmers but also to farm workers who depend on copra for a living.

According to data from the PCA, the Davao Region is one of the top producers of coconuts not just in the Philippines but also in the whole world. The region alone produced a total of 1.2 million metric tons of coco products which range from copra, coco oil and desiccated coconut.

The total national coconut production is about 2.5 million metric tons and is the top coconut producing country in the whole world. Last 2008 coconut export receipts totaled about $700-million with major markets in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Orillanada said that currently there are 376,000 hectares of farmland planted to coconut in the region. Only 1.5% of these lands were lost to banana plantations. He said that 14,000 hectares have been added as new coconut farmlands. The PCA is targeting 30,000 hectares of new coconut plantations.

He cited the PCA's diversified product development as reasons for the coco growth, one of the products developed which has gained attention in the world market is coco-sugar. Coco sugar is being preferred as a sugar substitute because of its low glycemic index perfect for persons afflicted with diabetes.

source: pia.gov.ph