Davao coconut industry boosts output of coco fiber for export

A massive production of coconut coir fiber in the Davao region has been set into motion by industry leaders to meet the growing demand for this commodity in the global market.
Armando Angsinco, chairman of the coconut industry cluster team, said plans and programs are now being discussed to produce high-quality coconut coir fiber in big volumes that can be sustained in the long run by the region’s coconut farmers.
“We’re now identifying potential coconut farmers for a sustainable production of coconut coir fiber in Davao to increase our capacities for the export market,” he said.
Angsinco stressed that they are planning a series of training programs to help coconut farmers and coir producers improve the quality of coco coir fiber being churned out in the Davao region.
“We have technical experts who will help our coconut farmers and coir producers turn out better quality coco fiber from coconut husks,” Angsinco told officials of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) during a recent project monitoring meeting.
Coconut coir fibers are made from dried coconut husks which are normally thrown away by farmers as waste in many plantations since they are only after the nut which contains the white coco meat that turns into copra, he said.
The coconut industry cluster chairman said many coconut farmers are not fully aware of the value of dried coconut husks being thrown away in big piles then set on fire in many plantations.
Coco coir is highly in demand, especially in China where many factories that manufacture auto seats and high-end classic furniture need huge quantities of the coconut-based fiber made from the lowly coco husks. Most of the coco coir exported to China comes from India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
A typical import order of coco coir from China buyers is around 5,000 metric tons monthly shipped in 40-foot container vans every week, according to an official of Goldelyonn Ltd, an export-import agency based in Davao.
Angsinco said the industry cluster team is presently assisting Davao coconut farmers in restoring old coconut plantations back to productive levels under the Davao Industry Cluster Capacity Enhancement Project (DICCEP), a joint project of JICA and the Department of Trade and Industry with technical support from Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), Department of Agriculture (DA), academe and local government units.
Under the DICCEP, the coconut industry team has also set up pilot farms with programs to boost production, train farmers’ wives with various livelihood programs to earn extra income and put up salt-making centers to produce their own fertilizers all over the Davao Region.