Representatives from the Tanikala ng Pagkakaisa Multi-Purpose Cooperative (TPMPC), Butansapa Multi-Purpose Cooperative, and Nangka Multi-Purpose Cooperative attended the Coco Coir Twining/Twisting and Coco Geonet Production Training held in Boac, Marinduque on August 2-4, 2022.

The abovementioned organizations are the respective proponent groups of the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) coco coir enterprise subprojects in the Province of Marinduque.

This training was facilitated by members of the Bayanihan Linis Tanim Multi-Purpose Cooperative, another cooperative in the province who has been producing geonet for seven years. The final output of the training, which is the coco geonet, is primarily used as a form of slope protection to prevent soil erosion while still providing opportunity for vegetation.

According to DA-PRDP MIMAROPA Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) Deputy Project Director Engr. Annielyn Del Rosario, the Provincial Engineering Office of Marinduque was tapped by the Provincial Project Management and Implementation Unit (PPMIU) to serve as the initial target market for the coco geonets.

“Ti-nap ang Provincial Engineering Office na dito muna natin umpisahan na ipakita, lalo na kay Governor, na effective talaga ang twine natin para sa soil erosion prevention. So lahat ng project ng Provincial Engineering Office na para sa soil erosion, ‘yun ang market ninyo for the time being,” stated Engr. Del Rosario in her message for the attendees of the training.

All three cooperatives that attended the training will be producing coco coir twines, but the Tanikala ng Pagkakaisa Multi-Purpose Cooperative will be the one to assemble the twines into geonets. TPMPC Chairman Pacifico Mabato expressed his hope for a strong partnership with the other two cooperatives present in the training.

“Doon sa dalawang coop, ang Nangka at ang Butansapa, aasa ako na kayo ‘yung magsu-supply rin sa amin ng twine. Kasi ‘yun talaga ‘yung ating pinagkasunduan before. Aasahan ko ‘yun kasi unang-una hindi naman namin kakayanin lahat ‘yan [demand]. At tulong na rin namin ito sa inyo kasi kami ang [gagawa ng] geonet. So magtulungan lang tayo. Sabi nga, ‘pag nagsama-sama, kayang-kaya,” expressed Mabato.

Meanwhile, Butansapa MPC Chairman Mario Villanueva expressed his thanks to the DA-PRPD and said that he is looking forward to applying their learnings in their own respective cooperatives.

“Ito’y malaking bagay sa aming kooperatiba dahil pinagkalooban kami ng project ng PRDP. At ang mga natutunan namin ngayon ay magagamit namin para sa paggawa ng geonet para matulungan ang kabuhayan ng mga miyembro ng aming kooperatiba,” Villanueva stated.

Coco coir is one of the identified commodities in the Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP) of the Province of Marinduque. The DA-PRDP has three completed coco coir subprojects in the said province amounting to PhP7.2 million and benefiting more than 200 coconut farmers in Marinduque. (Danica A. Brutas, DA-PRDP MIMAROPA RPCO InfoACE Unit)