Coconut is one of the Philippines major exports and the country itself is also one of the major suppliers of this agricultural product in the world market. It is but natural that local governments push through with efforts that will aid in the development of this industry.
With this in mind, the First Mindanao Coconut Summit opened last July 30 and 31. Sponsored by Davao Region Coconut Industry Cluster and the Mindanao Business Council, partners of the vent include the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), Department of Trade and Industry, and the Department of Science and Technology.
Hosted by the provincial government of Davao Oriental and the Mati City local government, the organizers geared the summit toward the exploration of income possibilities for coconut farmers. An urgent need for model farms using integrated farming approaches which will hopefully be able to make coconut farming a viable business venture was also discussed.
The confab also focused on the commercial development of coconut products other than copra, including the production of coconut sugar out of the coconut sap or toddy. Another topic discussed in the conference was the prospect of producing bio-organic fertilizer from coco coir dust, a byproduct of coconut fiber extraction. Organic fertilizer is increasingly becoming popular because of the high costs of chemical fertilizers and health concerns regarding the chemical-based products.
The organizers of this conference hoped to aid the coconut industry to give a greater contribution to the country’s economy, which will also affect positively to the benefits of thousands of coconut farmers.
0 comments:
Post a Comment