The Philippine Coco Coir Export Producers Association, Inc. (Philcoir) is encouraging all producers of coco coir products to make 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.
Meanwhile, Philcoir said the government must ensure that coconut trees in the country remain healthy, strong and high yielding in order for the industry to be sustainable.
“Fertilization of coconut trees—using, among others, coco peat or coir dust, must be a high priority program. The use of coco peat as an ideal soil conditioner for coconut farms resulting in higher yields for coconut trees has already been proven a long time ago in India and Sri Lanka by scientific papers and actual applications,” the group said in a position paper presented during the summit.
The group also asked for protection from government against the indiscriminate entry of foreign-owned decorticating plants which resulted to “price war” for husks.
“We have observed that foreigners, notably, Korean, Japanese and Chinese investors have entered the countryside, set up and operate decorticating plants in violation of pertinent laws and regulations,” the Philcoir said.
It cited a case in Sta. Maria, Davao del Sur wherein Korean, Chinese and Japanese investors operate decorticating plants which raised the cost of hauling husks from areas even beyond the 50-kilometer radius established by local industry players.
“The high concentration of decorticating plants in one area has resulted in heavy competition for the limited supply of husks in Sta. Maria and nearby areas as well as a price war for husks, thereby bringing up the price to prohibitive and uneconomical levels,” the group said.
The indiscriminate and illegal operations of decorticating plants by foreigners are harmful and costly for all, particularly to legitimate Filipino coco coir processors. We urge the government to intervene and stop such illegal actions of these foreigners,” it added.
Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has announced that it will maximize in the implementation of projects the use of coconut fiber made into geonets like coconets, coco-twines, and coco peat as bioengineering materials for soil erosion control and slope stabilization.
Stakeholders of the coco coir industry lauded the department order of the DPWH setting standard specifications for bio-engineering products and solutions using coconut fiber in fabrication of coconut geonets.
Philcoir president Ariel Aguirre commended this move of the national government as its way of helping the coco coir industry and be environment-friendly.
“We are happy that the national government is giving attention on this particular industry and everyone is very excited for that renewed interest,” he said.
The DPWH’s department order is based on Malacanang’s memorandum circular 25 directing all national and local government agencies to use coco peat or coir dust and coconut fiber materials for soil conditioning and erosion control.
The national government pushes for this program to promote better farm practices and environment conservation to mitigate the effect of drought.
One of the DPWH projects identified to have coconet application is the national road along Surigao Sur – Davao Oriental Coastal Road, Comval.
The widening of Davao City Diversion Road, the Maa-Bangkal Section, and also the road improvement in Talomo is also designed to have coconet application.
The road upgrading along Montevista-Compostela-new Bataan-Maragusan-Mati Boundary Road, Libuton-Saddle Section, New Bataan, Comval Province is also one of the identified projects.
