June 8, 2015

PRDP okays P7.6 M for Albay Coco Geonets Manufacturing Enterprise They used to be an unorganized group of friends and acquaintances who were drawn together to address the common concerns of coconut farmers in their area, one ofwhich is the high volume of coconut husks that choke off the Macagatol River leading toBato Lake that pollutes their community. Today, the Tunay Tapat Lahing Pilipino Cooperative (TTLPC) is a registered and functional organization. It is chaired by Josias B. Pedrocello of Sitio La Medalla, Libon, Albay and is now ready to take its operations and advocacy to the next level in partnership with the Philippine Rural Development Project(PRDP). This cooperative would turn the otherwise wasted coconut husks into value-added products like the coco geonets under the name Albay Coco Geonets Manufacturing Enterprise.

Coco geonet is a high strength geotextile twined and woven from 100% biodegradable coconut coir, a stiff but elastic, pliable and resilient fiber derived from coconut husks. Coco geonets are utilized for stream, riverbank and shoreline protection, slope stabilization, and mining sites’ environmental rehabilitation. The material can also be used to trap sediments, protect highway and rail embankment, in reservoirs, coastal erosion control, in high altitude planting, landscaping, and other bioengineering applications. Using coco geonets for slope stabilization is more economical, practical and sustainable than concrete or riprap. The cost of coco geonets usage is only 23percent of the cost of riprap, and 10 percent of the cost of concrete, without the common problems of cracks and collapse.

The Albay Coco Geonets Manufacturing Enterprise is a P7,681,067.08-worth sub-project under PRDP’s Investments in Rural Enterprises and Agriculture and Fisheries Productivity (I-REAP) better known as Agro-industrial Enterprise Development. The community-based enterprise is expected to generate about 900 new jobs for TTLPC members and the community with an increased or potential daily income of P75-250.The sub-project also targets to raise the income of 1,100 coconut farmers from 30barangays in Libon as coconut husk suppliers to the enterprise.

The enterprise also aims to produce 624,000 kilos of raw coconut fiber out of 6,240,000pieces of coconut husks processed at the enterprise annually. It will sell 20% of the fiber as dried fiber at P12 per kilogram while 80% will be further processed into 11-meterhanks of twine or rope valued at P2.65 per piece. Moreover, 50% of the hanks of twine will be woven into 1×50 meter geonet which costs P1,600 per roll while the coco peat collected will be sieved and sold at P4 per 20 liter can.

The TTLPC members attended extensive hands-on training at the Juboken Enterprises Inc. coir processing plant in Lower Gapo Camalig, Albay to prepare them for the management and operation of Albay Coco Geonets Manufacturing Enterprise. They were oriented about the twining and weaving processes as well as basic business operational procedures. Also, they were taught to operate the decorticating machine. Included in the training kit were one weaving loom and six sets of twining machines. Juboken Enterprises Inc. also lent them a decorticating machine, given that TTLPC’s coco fibers, twines and geonet products will be sold to them.

In addition, the Project Support Office South Luzon headed by Director Shandy M. Hubilla conducted a procurement training to equip the TTLPC and Provincial Project Management and Implementation Unit (PPMIU) Albay with the World Bank Procurement Guidelines including the I-REAP sub-project Work and Financial Plan, requirements for fund releases, procurement arrangements, and Harmonized Philippine Bidding Documents for Goods and Works on June 1-2, 2015. PSO South Luzon also facilitated a workshop on the sub-project procurement plan preparation.

With the PRDP intervention, Pedrocello believes that more coconut farmers will be reached out especially that most of them cannot afford to send their children to school because of their meager income. “Ngayon na marami na ang laborers, magiging normal na ang kita nila. Magkakaroon na rin sila ng pambayad sa mga pagkakautang nila,” he said. He also views it as an opportunity to revive the coconut farmers’ interest in planting coconut trees since logging of coconut trees is rampant in their area.

Meanwhile, TTLPC has recently distributed twining machines to nearby barangays andmore twining machines and weaving loom will be distributed now that the business planis already approved. Consequently, a warehouse and processing plant with a combined area of 10 meters by 15 meters dimension and 150 square meters total floor area will be constructed in Sitio La Medalla in Libon, Albay to house a stationary decorticating machine, twining machines, sieving machine, weaving machine, and a heavy duty weighing scale. It will also allot an office space for management purposes as well as a stockroom. The establishment of a warehouse is expected to reduce spoilage or losses, minimize deterioration of the machines, and guarantee equipment security.

PPMIU-Albay Component Head Rafaelita M. Nicoleta said that the Albay Coco Geonets Manufacturing Enterprise will be a source of income of the family and will uplift not only the livelihood but the economic situation of the community. “This is an example of government and private partnership with a goal of economic upliftment of the community by giving livelihood to the residents. We hope that other cooperatives in Albay that need support from the government would also benefit from PRDP investments,” she added.

The Albay Coco Geonets Manufacturing Enterprise is the first I-REAP business plan in Bicol that received NOL 1 from the National Project Coordinating Office (NPCO), which secures PRDP funding to the sub-project. (Annielyn L. Baleza, I-SUPPORT Info ACEUnit, DA-RAFIS 5)