LABO, CAMARINES NORTE – The Labo Progressive Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LPMPC) is known for its refreshing pineapple fruit juice drink branded as Queench. Since 2007, the cooperative has ventured in pineapple juice drink processing as well as production of pure pineapple juice, pineapple jam, dried pineapple and pineapple fiber.

The LPMPC supplies Queench to various schools in the province in support of the Department of Education’s “Healthy School Canteen” advocacy. The cooperative also sells its products to local government units and government agencies in Bicol.

The growing market demand for Queench, however, is limited by LPMPC’s low production efficiency because of its processing plant’s small capacity. According to the LPMPC Agribusiness Supervisor Rey Ulysses Dimaano, the current LPMPC Integrated Pineapple Processing Center in Brgy. Malasugui can only produce 200 boxes of 10 packs each set per day. He mentioned that the cooperative cannot even accommodate all its pineapple farmer-members’ harvests due to limited storage space.

Through the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) enterprise namely, “Camarines Norte Pineapple Trading and Processing Project,” the LPMPC can now raise its production to 1,000 boxes per day once the new processing plant is operational. The PRDP subproject also comes with production equipment comprising of juice extracting machine, pasteurizer with automatic filling and sealing machine, blast freezer, and generator set. Only juice drink and pure juice will be produced in the processing plant while jam, jelly and dehydrated pineapple production will be done in the older facility of the LPMPC.

Among the workers who are excited about this development is Jonalyn Candelaria, 26 years old. A member of the cooperative for two years, Candelaria earns P1,580 weekly by helping in the pineapple juice processing operations.

Candelaria believes that the LPMPC’s production expansion comes with more opportunities for laborers like her to gain higher income.

Dimaano, on the other hand, added that the higher production will generate more employment and economic progress to the province’s pineapple industry. “Hindi po kaya ng LPMPC kung internal fund generation ang gagamitin kasi maaapektuhan naman ang operation ng ibang branches. Ang LPMPC ay credit and savings, kung mag-i-invest po kami sa ganitong proyekto may mga limitasyon. Malaking bagay yung ginawa ng DA para sa ganitong programa, maraming miyembro ang maaaring matulungan nito (LPMPC cannot afford this project with its internal fund because it will affect the operation of other ventures. The LPMPC is engaged in credit and savings; there will be limitations if we invest in this type of project. This big project from PRDP will definitely benefit more members),” he said in gratitude to the PRDP management.

The LPMPC plans to collaborate with civil society organizations, other cooperatives and institutional buyers to expand its market. The cooperative targets to start its full operation by early 2019.

A total of 1,806 hectares of land in seven municipalities of Camarines Norte is devoted for pineapple production. The P21.91 million-worth Camarines Norte Pineapple Trading and Processing Project’s primary product is the fresh pineapple better known as the Queen “Formosa” pineapple, the sweetest pineapple variety in the country. ###  (Annielyn L. Baleza, DA-RAFIS V)  

The P6.74 million-worth processing plant for the PRDP-funded Camarines Norte Pineapple Trading and Processing Project is projected to expand the production of pineapple juice drink and other pineapple products of the Labo Progressive Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LPMPC).

Queench, the Labo Progressive Multi-Purpose Cooperative’s (LPMPC) refreshing pineapple fruit juice drink is extracted from the Queen “Formosa” Pineapple, the sweetest variety of pineapple in the country that can only be found largely in Camarines Norte.

Rural Infrastructure Engineer Engr. Eliseo Buella assesses the project documentation for the processing plant, an I-BUILD component of the Camarines Norte Pineapple Trading and Processing Project during the Joint PSO-RPCO Punch List Inspection.

LPMPC member Jonalyn Candelaria of Brgy. Malasugui Labo, Camarines Norte will be one of the direct beneficiaries of the Camarines Norte Pineapple Trading and Processing Project processing plant.