PCA to intensify exports of coco fiber, peat or dust

MANILA, Philippines - Coconut fiber and peat or dust could be turned into gold.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said processing coconut fiber and peat into geo-textiles and organic fertilizer or soil conditioner, respectively, could earn for the country millions of dollars in exports, and provide additional income and livelihood to hundreds of thousands of small coconut farmers and their families in the countryside.

The DA’s Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) estimates that the country produces some 12 billion coconuts annually.

“Collecting merely one-half or six billion coconut husks, and processing these into coco geo-textiles and organic fertilizers, the country could generate at least $225 million annually,” Alcala said during the recent first coconut coir summit in Davao City.

For his part, PCA administrator Euclides G. Forbes said geo-textiles or ‘cocomats’ serve as erosion control material that are laid on mountain slopes, river banks and dam embankments. Coconut fibers are also transformed into twine or yarn, while fine coco fibers are used in making beds or mattresses. Coconut peat or dust is used as organic fertilizer, soil conditioner, or animal beddings.

Coir comprises 30 percent of coconut husk. The rest is coco peat or dust.

Alcala said the Department of Agriculture is spearheading the initiative through the PCA and Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA) as instructed by President Aquino who directed concerned government agencies to strongly support, promote, and develop the coco coir and peat industry to achieve its optimum production and export potentials for the benefit of millions of small farmers and rural folk who directly depend on the coconut industry as a major source of income and livelihood.

The DA will develop the fledgling coco fiber and peat industry in partnership with the Departments of Trade and Industry (DTI), Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and Science and Technology (DOST), Small coconut farmers’ cooperatives and federations, and the private sector, particularly the Philippine Coco Coir Exporters Association Inc. and the Coconut  Industry Investment  Fund (CIIF).

“On exports, China remains one big untapped export market,” said Alcala. Other potential buyers of geo-textiles and coco peat organic fertilizer and soil conditioner are Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Canada, and the USA.

He said China alone imports 200,000 tons of coco fiber annually, driven by its increasing demand for mattresses, Alcala noted. Said demand has prompted the setting up of over 50 coir production workshops in the country, which are not enough, he added.

“In China, to date we only seize merely 0.05 percent of its coco fiber imports. The room for further growth is therefore immense,” the DA chief said.

The PCA said last year the country exported less than 5,000 metric tons (MT) of coconut coir worth roughly $6.5 million. Sri Lanka is the leading exporter, at more than 150,000 MT.

For his part, Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory Domingo said government aims to increase exports of coco geo textiles to at least $6.5 million by 2016.

The Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC), an inter-governmental organization of 17 coconut producing countries, lists the Philippines as the second largest coconut-producing country in the world, where 3.4 million hectares are planted to coconut. Indonesia leads in area planted with 3.85 million hectares.