The Threat To Coconut: “The Tree of Life”

By Venus Villanueva

Aklan, considered in Western Visayas as the province with the biggest coconut cover, might be dislodged from this position by neighboring province of Antique if Aklanons did not start replanting to replace those old unproductive coconut trees now. With the current demand for coconuts for various purposes besides copra making, vacant lands in Aklan should be planted with the so-called "tree of life" now.
Plevy Reyes Raco, Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) and Aklan’s Provincial Coconut Development Manager said that during the PCA’s Regional Coco Week celebration in Iloilo City, Antique was cited for supporting the coconut replanting program of the government and for the procurement of thousands of high quality seed nuts for the development of the coconut industry in the region specifically in Antique "in five year’s time", said Raco. "Antique may have more coconut trees than Aklan". Aklan has some 498,574 senile trees found in all municipalities and these should be replaced soon, replanted with coconut seeds of good, high yielding quality.PCA’s current program, the "Hatid Punla" Replanting Program, said Raco, will enable Aklan to remain as having the biggest coconut cover in the region if coco farmers will avail of the high quality seed nuts now available at their Libas nursery in Banga, Aklan, and start planting now.
According to the Aklan PCA head, each seednut costs P25 plus a freight fee of P2 for a total of P27.00. The seednuts are of Genetically Multi-Ancestral (GMA) variety."Now is the time to give the coconut tree a serious attention, being the "tree of life" as all its plant parts from the roots to its leaves have uses," stressed Raco.Currently, the price of copra has gone up, said Raco, and besides copra making, coconuts are in demand in Aklan in the production of the much hailed and in-demand Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO).
"Compared to copra making, coconut farmers could earn more by producing virgin coconut oil as 15 mature nuts could produce a liter of VCO which could sell P500.00" in the market said Raco.In Aklan however, only one virgin coconut oil producer is BFAD-registered, and some cooperatives are now producing virgin coconut oil for local consumption.During PCA’s radio interview over RMN-DYKR, it was revealed that one of the agency’s activities in celebration of the 10th PCA Regional Coco Week was Hatid Punla. The other activity was a training on Coco Twine Making conducted by the Ibajay Small Coconut Farmers Development Cooperative. This cooperative produces cooking oil and makes use of coconut by-products by turning these into coconut nets, floor mats, and doormats."The coconut nets made from coconut husk fibers are in high demand in the foreign markets and for used to prevent soil erosion. It makes growing of plants in denuded mountains and inhabitable areas possible," explained Raco."The industry in Ibajay also helps employ some 350 families who are engaged in coco twine making which enhances their income and keep them away from vices," revealed Raco. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com