Philippines Coco Exports Up

     

A portion of a 30 year old coconut plantation located in Badio, Numancia, Aklan. The coconut trees are still highly productive. Bananas and rambutan are growing with the coconut trees.

Health-conscious Americans bought $3.9 million worth of coconut water in the first quarter of 2012, an increase of more than 400 percent from the same period last year.

According to Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) administrator Euclides Forbes, the Philippines exported 3.7 million liters of coconut water in the first quarter, much more than the 796,000 liters exported in the first quarter of 2011. 

The demand for coconut water has also been rising in other countries, PCA said. Exports to the Netherlands grew to 189,800 liters from just 32,000 liters while exports to Australia grew by 362 percent to 65,219 liters. 

Forbes said, export figures of coconut water for 2012 will exceed the 16.7 million liters exported in 2011. Exports of coconut water last year was worth around $15 million but Forbes said “international demand for coco water continues to rise as more people turn health conscious.”

Drinking coconut water is considered beneficial because it is rich in potassium and magnesium. 

“Coco water contains a considerable amount of vitamin B such as thiamine which strengthens the muscles, delays fatigue, and maintains normal heart function. It is regarded as a good source of electrolytes and glucose and have been found suitable for intravenous rehydration,” Forbes said.

Forbes said there is a need to plant more coconut trees because of a growing demand for coconut water and other coconut by-products. He said, growing demand will bring job opportunities for millions of coconut farmers.

According to the latest data from the PCA, 3.56 million hectares of the Philippines is used for growing coconuts, around 26 percent of agricultural land. As of 2009, the Philippines had 341.3 million coconut trees and produce around 15.54 billion coconuts a year.

Philippine Coconut Husks, Next Big Export

    

  Coconut meat being dehydrated under the sun before selling it as copra.

The coconut industry is expected to get a further boost once it capitalizes on its potential to be a top exporter of cocopeat, a fibrous substance made from coconut husks.

The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) reported that given the proper post-harvest technology, the Philippines   could easily make export-grade cocopeat and become its biggest supplier worldwide with the sheer size of lands devoted to coconut trees.

PhilMech is mandated to conduct research on the ways farm waste could be put to good use.

The agency said it had developed a two-step drying system with its partners in order to produce quality cocopeat.

Cocopeat is a by-product of coconut husk used as a growing medium for plants using hydroponics, a method of growing crops without using soil but water.

Popular in Hydrophonics

PhilMech said coco-peat is becoming more popular in hydroponics for it has a water retention capacity of up to eight times its weight. Cocopeat needs less watering compared to peat moss, which is also used in hydroponics. It is resistant to bacteria, weed and fungal growth and can be used for up to eight years.

According to PhilMech, the Philippines has enough coconut trees to overtake India and Sri Lanka, the current top cocopeat suppliers.

Both countries export more cocopeat even if India only has one million hectares of coconut lands and Sri Lanka has only about 1.76 million hectares planted to coconuts. In comparison, the Philippines has 3.3 million hectares of coconut lands.

“If only 30 percent of discarded coconut husks were processed into high-grade cocopeat, the Philippines could be the largest supplier of the commodity internationally,” said PhilMech executive director Rex Bingabing.

The PhilMech study, conducted by a team led by Manolito Bulaong, discovered that the Philippines exported only 5,000 metric tons of cocopeat, while India and Sri Lanka exported 400,000 MT and 82,000 MT, respectively, in 2011.

If 30 percent of coconut husks in the Philippines are turned into cocopeat, the country could produce 562,000 MT.

Export-grade Cocopeat

Bingabing said the discarded coconut husks in the Philippines need to be harvested and processed through the proper drying technologies so that they could be turned into export-grade cocopeat.

According to PhilMech, it would be best if mechanical dryers were used for the production because of the country’s rainy season. 

PhilMech also recommended that cocopeat undergoes mechanical dewatering before drying to ensure the quality of the output.

The agency had teamed up with accredited manufacturer Suki Trading and exporter Filcoco to develop the drying system to produce export-quality cocopeat.

A belt press should be used to dewater the cocopeat and reduce its moisture content by as much as 60 to 65 percent, while a rotary drum dryer heated by a biomass furnace would dry it further and bring moisture level down to 16 percent. At that point, the cocopeat could be formed into blocks for export. /MP