DA funds study on comm’l viability of local coco water production

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture is funding, through the World Bank-supported Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP), a pilot test program on the commercial viability of community-level production of coconut water.

The year-long study, which would be conducted in partnership with the provincial government of Camarines Sur, Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (Philmech) and Central Bicol State University, would receive funding of P7.3 million.

The study dubbed “Cocowater Processing Technology Pilot Testing and Business Incubation Project” aims to come up with protocols for production and technology use for the commercial distribution of coconut water produced at the community level.

It also aims to initiate supply linkages between coconut water consolidators and small-scale processors.

 “Indeed, we are on-track to creating a sustainable and stable source of livelihood and income for thousands of Filipino coconut farmers,” said Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala.

“By finding an industrial application to a by-product that used to be thrown away as waste, we create new rural-based enterprises and possibilities towards progress,” he added.

Alcala signed last Oct. 3 a memorandum of agreement with Bicol State University and Camarines Sur governor Miguel Villafuerte for the conduct of the study.

Several farmers’ cooperatives were also enlisted to supply coconut water for the pilot testing of technologies provided by Philmech.

As part of the agreement, PhilMech would procure the components of the equipment and facilitate its assembly and installation at the DA’s regional office Bicol in Pili.

The newly-designed equipment allows hygienic extraction, storage and chilling of coco water.

The set-up would have a processing capacity of around 2,000 mature coconuts per day, producing 600 liters of coco water. The processing equipment is designed to be portable for ease of installation anywhere in the country.

PhilMech would also train farmers’ groups to operate the equipment and eventually manage the facility.

The DA regional office in Pili, in turn, would oversee the day-to-day operations of the facility and would coordinate with the university on the progress of the feasibility report.

Based on the findings of the study, the DA and Bicol State University would come up with a manual for good manufacturing practices.

The state university would also design and implement the marketing strategies and promotional activities during the test run.

About 90 percent of the country’s coconut water supply is wasted because these are thrown away by copra manufacturers most of the time. Without the pre-processing technology for coconut water, this does not have economic value for copra makers.