Transcript Document

SOCIO-ECONOMIC UPLIFTMENT OF
COCONUT FIBER PRODUCTION IN
SELECTED BENEFICIARY
COMMUNITIES IN THE PROVINCE OF
ALBAY: PROBLEMS & PROSPECTS
Susana C. Cabredo, Ninfa R. Pelea, Grace B.
Brizuela, Yolanda B. Brugada
 From 1995 to 2000 the population of the province
grew at the rate of 1.77%.
 In 2000 Bicol accounted for 23% of the regional
population and host to 208,640 households.
 The urban population constitutes 19.6% of the
entire population, showing that Albayanos are
predominantly living in rural areas.
 The average income per capita is P18,758.00,
while the average family income of P63,756.00
finances an average annual family expenditure
of P55,852.00.
 Bicol Region is the third poorest region in the
country.
 In 2000, 46% of total families or 53.1% of the total
population in the region was living below the
annual per capita poverty threshold of Php
11,524.00 although overall poverty incidence
decreased slightly from 1997 to 2000 with only
40,510 families or 190,962 individuals graduating
out of poverty.
 Poverty incidence in the rural areas is higher
(79.6% of total families or 79.9% of total
population)
 Increasing from 78.1% of total families or 78.0% of
total population in 1997.
 Masbate and Camarines Norte ranked 2nd and
10th poorest provinces, respectively, in the
country.
 By sector, the coconut farmers are among the
poorest segment of the population.
The locale of this study is two of the 18
municipalities of Albay. These are the
towns of:
 Camalig, located on the western
side of the province.
 Bacacay, a coastal town along
the eastern side of the province.
Both are 3rd class municipalities.
 Registered a coconut production of 459,000 MT in
year 2000 and ranked 4th as to highest area
planted with coconut (1999 data)
 67% of Bicol’s agricultural land is coconut
plantation area with Camarines Sur having the
biggest area planted to coconuts. Albay is
ranked 2nd in terms of total coconut production in
Bicol Region.
Table 1 Coconut Statistics of Bicol Peninsula*
Province
Coconut area Number of
(ha)
bearing trees
Total Nut
production
Total Number
of Farmers
Albay
99,940
9,163,292
503,981,060
46,823
Camarines Sur
203,282
19,520,892
1,073,649,060
94,274
Camarines
Norte
Sorsogon
100,086
7,557,178
415,644,790
23,393
97,738
7,762,746
426,951,030
49,840
*Source: Philippine Coconut Authority, Bicol Region
Some of the features of the coconut industry
as reflected in Bicol’s Medium Term Development
Plan for 2004-2010 are listed below:
 There are 651,571 hectares or 37% of the total
regional land area planted to coconut, which is
21% of the national total.
 Total nut production is 2.2 billion harvested from
59.78 million bearing trees.
 There are 290,204 coconut farmers.
 Export value of coconut products from 1997-2003
amounted to US$198,486,142, 5.22% of the total
coconut product export.
 There are six operating oil mills/refinery with a
total of 1,500 metric tons daily rated capacity.
 There are eight decorticating plants, one virgin
coconut oil plant and one nata de coco
producer.
 Average yield of copra is 844 kg./ha/year.
 Average farm income for monocropped coconut
areas is P16,880 per hectare.
 Generally, coconut farms in the Bicol Region
have low productivity as indicated by a
production of 38 nuts per tree per year. Low
farm productivity is a result of the following:
presence of very old coconut trees that produce
very few nuts, presence of cadang-cadang
disease, occurrence of typhoons and other
calamities and the monoculture attitude of most
coconut farmers.
 Complex marketing structure. It takes about
three middlemen before copra reaches the
major user.
 Many coconut farmers are tenants who rely on
the landowners on decisions of land and product
utilization/disposal.
 There are several coconut by-products. Coconut
shell is manufacture as activated carbon, the
husk is used for coir and peat production.
Coconut water is used for nata de coco and
vinegar production.
 There is a high demand for coconut oil as fuel
additive from China and Japan.
 Presence of commercial technologies on
coconut products.
Coconut Tree is often called
“TREE OF LIFE”
Because of the dependence
for livelihood of a significant
proportion of the population on
farming, processing and trade
of products from the tree and
because of the fact that
practically all parts of the tree,
from its roots to its fronds has
an economic value, majority
of the families that are
dependent on the coconut
industry has remained
impoverished.
Thus, in the present Medium Term
Development Plan for Bicol enumerates the
following development strategies for its coconut
industry:
 Increase average copra yield from 0.8
MT/Ha/Year to a minimum of 1.5 MT/ha/year.
 Increase farmer’s net income from P10,000/ha. To
P50,000/ha.
 Establishment of seed gardens as source of
quality seedlings (GMA/Synvar)
 Introduction of farm diversification such as
Maunland Demo Farms to coconut farmers.
 Provision of micro-finance/lending program to
coconut farmers.
 Promote the production and marketing of high
value coconut products like makapuno, nata de
coco, virgin coconut oil, geotextile, buko juice,
etc.
 Improvement of copra quality through the
introduction of copra dryers.
 Assist coconut farmer’s cooperatives in direct
marketing of their produce to oil mills.
 Planting of embryo cultured makapuno
seedlings.
 Development of appropriate fiber and cocopeat
drying facilities.
 Promote partnership between commodity
suppliers and processors/exporters.
 Establishment of a geotextile corridor along the
national highway.
Prominently cited among the strategies are
value added products from coconut, among
which are coco fiber and geotextile. These
products have received some attention from
investors in the past but most recently, it is the
model of Juboken Enterprises, based in Camalig
which has received government and media
attention because of its job-generating-in-thebarangay feature.
Coconut Husk
Inte rmitte nt Dipping
De cortica ting
(First Pa ss)
Rough Fibe r Colle ction
Coco Dust Colle ction
De cortica ting
(Se cond Pa ss)
Fibe r Colle ction
Coco Dust Colle ction
Sun Drying
Stock Filing a nd Ba ling
Rope Tw ining
Ne t W e a ving
Stock Filing a nd Ba ling
Figure 2. Flow diagram of coco net manufacture
Table 2. Number of families that provide labor in the
manufacture of coco coir nets by Juboken
Enterprises
Municipality/
Barangay
Camalig
Baligang
Cabraran Pequeno
Sub-contractor 1
Sub-contractor 2
Maninila
Bacacay
Bonga
Sub-contractor 1
Sub-contractor 1
Total
No. of families
Weavers
Rope makers
Total
18
80
50
60
18
50
50
290
308
Table 3. Income-generating phases in the manufacture of coco
fiber nets in Albay.
Process
Coconut husks
(Raw Material)
Decorticating (two
passes)
Sun-drying
Stock Filing and
Baling
Twining
Income-generating
activity
Gatherer/supplier of
coconut husks
No. of persons
a
Rate
P0.10/husk for
b
14,000 husks
varies
Income
1400
Operator/Laborer
Laborer
2
2
P250/dayc
c
P250/day
250
250
Laborer
Sub-contractor/
f
assembler
2
P250/dayc
250
Twining
d
a
varies
3 per twining
equipment
P0.30/10-m twine
e
P1/12m twine
150
P50/50m roll
P150/50m roll
150e
Weaving
f a
Sub-contractor/assembler varies
Weavingd
2 per loom
a
involves bringing husks to pock up area
for 8 hours of operation of the decorticator
c
or prevailing labor rate
d
family employment
e
family/team income
f
for labor cost
b
Table 4. Comparison of the income from coco coir rope and net
making with other agricultural activities*
Agricultural Activity
Growing crops
Hog farming
Livestock farming
Chicken broiler production
Forestry, logging-related activities
Average
Coco coir rope making
coco coir net making
*From www.census.gov
Monthly Rate (P)
5,332
6,015
4223
4795
5245
6995
3600
3600
The published interview of Felix Bea, a
coconut farmer in Mauraro, Guinobatan,
Albay, published in www.columban.com, :
“Families in his Mauraro village
traditionally cultivate coconut on onehectare plots to earn a living as tenant
farmers, and Bea’s family no exception….
These days however, Bea’s family can
equal its former annual income in about three
months, still from coconuts and without
growing or selling anymore of them. Now in
addition to producing copra from harvested
coconuts, Bea’s wife and four children turn
coconut fibers into twine….
 Deteriorating soil fertility
 Senile trees
 Zoning problem which leads to competition in
sourcing of husks.
 Lack of access roads to coconut farmlands
making husk gathering in some areas not
economically viable.
 Lack of drying equipment and post-harvest
facilities
 High freight cost and power cost
 Lack of high density bailing press
 Fabricators of decorticating machines have no
standard as to capacity
 Limited market for coir of Philippine standard
quality
 Competition from other coconut fiber producing
countries.
 Limited access to capital by village subcontractors.
 Limited number of water containers.
Stitched Fibers and Mats
DIOS
MABALOS!