There’s more to coconut than just copra

Text and Photos By Henrylito D. Tacio
Although not a native of the Philippines, coconut is considered God’s gift to Filipinos. One historian wrote: “A man sleeps in the shade of the tree. He is awakened when a nut falls, drinks the water, and eats some of the meat. He then feeds the rest of the meat to the chickens, which produce eggs, milk, and meat. The leaves provide thatch for the roof and walls of his coconut hut, and are also woven into hats, baskets, and mats.”
From the air, the Philippines looks like a country filled with coconut trees. After all, some 3,562 million hectares of coconut trees are planted all over the country. “Coconut provides vital economic support to the rural communities, with over 3.4 million farmers directly benefiting from the industry,” reports the Laguna-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD).
The Philippines is the world’s second largest producer of coconut products after Indonesia. But the Philippines is the top exporter of coconut products (about 64 percent of the world’s copra and coconut oil comes from the country).
Copra or dried coconut meat is the main product of coconuts. It has high oil content, as much as 64 percent. Coconut oil, which is the most readily digested among all fats of general use in the entire world, furnishes about 9,500 calories of energy per kilo.
But there’s more to coconut than just copra and coconut oil. In the past, there was the nata de coco (which became a craze in Japan a few years back). Another one that became a global phenomenon is virgin coconut oil, which the New York Times described as having a “haunting, nutty, vanilla flavour” that also has a touch of sweetness that works well with baked goods, pastries, and sautés.
In recent years, there’s buko juice, which in the United States is called coco water. “Because of its nutrients, because it is natural and environment friendly, it is becoming the new natural sports drink in America and is now a hundred-million-dollar industry,” President Benigno Aquino III once reported.
“The coconut water has lots of health nutrients and uses,” the PCAARRD said. “It is among the purest of all waters. It has no cholesterol but contains more electrolytes than any fruit or vegetable juice or sports drink currently available in the market. It contains trace amounts of copper, phosphorus, and sulfur which help correct electrolyte imbalances.”
In Davao, some farmers are also rediscovering the health benefits of coconut — plus knowing these can be a good source of income for them. In the town of Bansalan, about 85 kilometers away from Davao City, there is a farmer who makes money out of his coconuts.
Benjamin R. Lao, president and chief executive officer of the Lao Integrated Farms, Inc., uses coconut to produce coco sugar. He does not only sell his coco products in his hometown and nearby areas but also export them to other countries.
According to him, the profit of using a coconut tree for coco sugar is almost three times than when the same tree is used for making copra.
In a period of three months, one coconut tree can produce 25 nuts, he said. Only one kilo of copra can be produced from 5 nuts. At P35 per kilo, the gross sales amounts to P175. The net income you get is only P95 from one coconut trees after deducting the expenses amounting to P80.
In comparison, one coconut tree can be rented at P90 for three months. If a tree is tapped for toddy and make it into coco sugar, the net income is P270. “See the difference?” Lao asked.
“It is not enough that we plant the most number of coconut trees or produce the highest number of nuts,” commented Dr. Patricio S. Faylon, the PCAARRD executive director. “It is getting the highest value and benefits from this crop that matters most. The best way to do this is to transform the nuts and other coconut parts into high-value products.”
Coco sugar is considered a safe and healthy sweetener due to its low glycemic index (GI) of 35. It is rich in phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and chlorine. As an “invert sugar,” it can be a valuable sweetener in food and pharmaceutical preparations and can be used as substitute for honey and sweetener for infant foods.
“Its health benefits have been recognized by highly discriminating and health-conscious market,” PCAARRD said. “Demand for the product is continuously increasing and is expected to further increase due to the number of health-conscious individuals within and outside the country.”
“Coconut sap sugar is not only sweet but even more nutritious than cane sugar,” pointed out Lao, whose product lines also include coconut sap honey, coconut syrup, and coconut sap drink. His coco sugar is also being sold in the United States, Japan, Australia, and Canada.
On value adding, Lao shared these words: “(It) is an important component in a farming system. For instance, if you have goats, you must know how to produce fresh milk and having other saleable products from the animals. In the case of coconut, don’t think only of copra because when it is cheaper, you can always have another product to sell.”
Aside from coconut, the Lao Integrated Farm is also teeming with various fruits like lanzones (more than a thousand trees), durian (700 trees), mangosteen, and rambutan. “I bought them one at a time from my salary as a government employee,” said Lao, who used to work as immigration officer.
In his farm, you won’t see his farm workers using chemical pesticides. “I had a tragic experience with chemical pesticides when I was still a teenager while cultivating rice in our farm located at the neighboring barangay,” he revealed.
Instead, he recommends using Eman (the name of the barangay where his farm is located), which stands for “epektibo, mura, at natural” (effective, cheap, and natural). “This is a concoction composed of fresh goats’ manure, kakawate, makabuhay, and hot pepper,” he informed. “These are soaked together for 48 hours and after that the concoction is ready for application.”
Lao said Eman is effective in repelling plant pests and diseases. In addition, it is also a good course of foliar fertilizer. “We are committed to help preserve our environment. We want to teach Filipino farmers the right way of farming through natural method and that is by not using commercial fertilizer or pesticides,” he said.
People who have been to his farm described it as a haven. You don’t see only livestock and crops but ornamentals as well. “It’s nice to see beautiful flowers underneath the trees,” he explained. “Also, the flowers serve as breeding areas for beneficial insects like spiders and dragonflies.”