Producers of coco coir in the Davao Region are supporting the government’s bio-engineering work to boost the demand of the product.
Pontmain Resources, Inc. (PRI) chairman/president Ariel Aguirre said they are happy on the government’s decision to use coco coir nets in their Slope Protection and Erosion Control projects.
Aguirre said PRI is a duly organized corporation engaged in the coconut husk processing business, an agri-business venture that involves the extraction of coconut fiber and dust or peat from coconut husks and the processing of these raw materials into downstream coco fiber and dust products. It started its commercial operation in March 1999.
He said PRI and other coco coir producers in the region backed the issuance of Department Order No. 41 by Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio L. Singson ordering all Engineering Districts to use coco nets in their infrastructure work.
As this developed, he said they expect a bigger demand for the product even as he said this will create more jobs for Filipinos.
With the netting work of coco coir being done manually, Aguirre said they will need to hire an additional 20 workers to back their 80-employee workforce if they get more orders.
PRI was built in 1998 in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur with capital investments of P10 million. The plant needs 50,000 coconut husks daily and their main market now is China, he said.
With other markets like India needing more coco coir products, he said the company is planning to expand its operation to other provinces like Davao Oriental.
He said the producers welcomed the government’s bold step in adopting bio-engineering in infrastructure projects.
“We are happy that President Aquino pushed for the use of coconut products as this will boost the industry. I think this is the first time that the government has given more attention to the coco coir industry,” he said. [PNA]
