The production of coconut-based materials in Davao Oriental has filtered down to the communities as the coconut industry becomes the focus sector of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the province.
Provincial Director Belenda Ambi of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) XI in an interview revealed giving focus on coconut-based products as this jibes with the export potential that President Benigno S. Aquino III had seen on coconuts.
Even before the national focus on coco-based industry particularly on the production of coco coir and coco juice, Davao Oriental has been the country’s leading producer of coconuts, getting ahead of the Quezon Province or sometimes falling second.
Davao Oriental is said to be the land of coconuts producing an average of billions of nuts per year from its 156,837 hectares of bearing trees while 3,597 hectares are planted to still non-bearing trees.
Coconut production paves way for investment opportunities on coco biofuel, coco oil, copra meal/ pellets, dessicated coconuts, virgin oil and food products, but in Davao Oriental the coco coir and peat production has noticeably spurred.
Extracted from coco husks, the coco coir production that brings jobs to communities tapped for coco twining to produce coco-nets for soil erosion and other industry needs.
Ambi said that there are 11 coco coir plants based in Davao Oriental and that these plants are providing the coco fiber to twining communities in San Isidro and in Camansi, in Mati City. The twines that they are producing are then bought back by the coir plants.
“We are happy to learn that members of the twining communities are earning P700 per week,” Ambi said noting an increase in family income.
DTI Davao Oriental is set to develop other twining communities in the towns of Banay banay Governor Generoso, San Isidro, Lupon and Mati and will be providing them twining machine to meet the demand for coco-nets out coco twines. [PIA 11/Jeanevive Duron Abangan]
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