The growing demand for virgin coconut oil overseas has brought about a remarkable rise in exports but authorities have slow in helping boost the industry to achieve its potentials, a local inventor says.
According to Davao Investors Association president Virgilio Sangutan, there is a demand for Davao’s virgin coconut oil (VCO) in the international community, particularly in South Korea because it is used in the Korean cosmetics industry.
Within 15 days, he said, the inventors’ group is set to send 26 container vans or an estimated 20 metric tons of VCO to South Korea.
“Some Korean investors have already placed their orders for the VCO, which we will send to them in a few days from now,” Mr. Sangutan said.
“The trade involving exporting virgin coconut oil from Davao Region is thriving,” said Sangutan.
Sangutan pointed out that is only in Davao region where processing plants for VCO can be found and that the coconut industry is one of the dominant sectors in the Philippine agriculture.
“Davao is still leading in supplying traditional coconut products with coconut oil, copra meal and desiccated coconut as the leading top products,” he added.
Among the primary commodities derived from coconut is coconut oil, dried coconut and copra while by-products include copra meal, activated carbon, coconut shell charcoal and coconut coir and coir dust.
Sangutan, however, rued the lack of support from the government and said: “Mindanao’s farmers and inventors could accomplish more with enough support from Philippine Coconut Authority.”
He stressed that coconut trees are considered as “trees of life” and that multi-cropping can be encouraged in planting coconuts aside from it various usages.
“Intercropping coconut gardens with ginger, calamansi, mangosteen, coffee, cacao, lemon grass, and other fruit crops would create sustainable farming,” Sangutan pointed out.
He added that coconut’s dwarf variety has also been tested in several local farms and turned out to be an alternative way of planting coconuts.
Sangutan stated that the farmers may also opt to plant dwarf varieties aside from the taller ones which may be toppled down by strong winds as experienced in the eastern part of Davao Region.
He also observed the reduction of coconut plantations in Davao Region not just due to climate change but also due to the shift of many farmers to banana and palm tree planting.
