AN OFFICIAL of the Philippine Coco Coir Export Producers Association, Inc. (Philcoir) is encouraging producers of coco coir products to include some value-adding to their produce.
Philcoir vice president Reynaldo Go said during the National Coco Coir Summit focus group discussion held in Davao City recently that a gradual shift from coco coir exports to value-added products like geo-textile and rubberized coir must be considered.
Go said that by offering value-added coco coir products to the international market, producers are assured of higher income and wider market reach.
Reports from the Bureau of Export Trade Promotion (BETP) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) show that the demand for geo-textile, a by-product of coco coir, as an erosion control material in China alone is estimated at 270,000 square kilometers and its desert areas are increasing at a rate of 1.27 percent annually due to sandstorms occurring during the months of October to December.
Go said that China remains to be the biggest market for all coco coir suppliers in the world which include the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, and Indonesia.
Aside from coco coir, Go said that other initiatives may also be looked into the intensive promotion of coco peat as animal bedding material to markets like Japan and China and extensive promotion of coco peat in the local market as enhancer for coconut plantation and vegetable and flower farms.
DTI 11 regional director Marizon S. Loreto said the recommendations of Go will be discussed during the National Coco Coir Summit slated on March 30 in Davao City.
The event is expected to gather at least 200 stakeholders throughout the country.
The National Coco Coir Summit is spearheaded by DTI in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA). [DTI11/JenMendoza]
