Tunay Tapat Lahing Pilipino Cooperative Inc. Member, Rexzaldo Panday (rear, right), demonstrates the twining process to SOFACOFA B-Q members using wooden twining equipment.

Value adding thru coco geonet production projects to raise coco farmers’ income in CamNorte

Date Published: September 27, 2019

STA. ELENA, CAMARINES NORTE — Cheap buying price for coconut impelled 47 year-old housewife, Estela Velasco, of Brgy. Poblacion Sta. Elena, Camarines Norte to work as a piggery caretaker for P3,000 monthly.

A mother of five, two of them born with special needs, Velasco felt the need to augment her husband, Roger’s income, to support their family. The latter is a tenant coconut farmer who has been earning P2,000 only every two months since the buying price for whole coconut dropped at P3.20 per piece.

“Mahirap ang buhay (Life is hard),” she lamented.

That is why Velasco did not have second thoughts about joining the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) Bicol’s training on coco geonet processing for members of the Samahang Organic Fair Trade Coconut Farmers Bicol-Quezon Cluster Inc. (SOFACOFA B-Q) on August 14-15, 2019 at the Coco Geonet Production Project Site, this municipality.

The activity aims to boost the SOFACOFA B-Q’s production in order to sustain market demand.

About 17 members and officers of the cooperative participated in the training facilitated by members of the Tunay Tapat Lahing Pilipino Cooperative, who implements the Albay Coco Geonets Manufacturing Enterprise in Libon, Albay.

Using the learning by doing approach, Jayson Pedrocillo, Project Manager of the I-REAP enterprise, together with Rexzaldo Panday and Kim Jay Novenario, trained the participants on the step-by-step process of coco geonet production which includes decorticating, carding, sieving, twining, and weaving.

“Makakatulong ng malaki yung ganitong activity kasi ang malaking problema po ng coco geonet production project dito sa Philippines is napakarami po ng raw materials natin pero hindi yun nau-utilize dahil sa kakulangan sa kaalaman (This activity is a great help because the biggest challenge in coco geonet production project here in the Philippines is the huge supply of raw materials which we fail to utilize due to lack of knowledge),” Pedrocillo said.

He added that through the expansion of PRDP’s projects, they can utilize all of the raw materials for the coco geonet production in Bicol Region and can sustain the buyers’ demand.

According to SOFACOFA B-Q Vice Chairman, Ronald Nasol, the training will help the members to develop quality techniques in coco geonet production and encourage them to appreciate the enterprise as a value-adding activity.

“Alternative source of income ito sa pagbaba ng presyo ng niyog kaya talagang nagpupursige yung ibang coconut farmers na matuto kasi isa po itong dagdag income maliban sa bunga ng niyog at sa ibang pinagkakakitaan po nila (This is an alternative source of income to address the cheap buying price of coconut. That is why some of our coconut farmers really persevere to learn because this is an opportunity for additional income aside from whole nuts and other livelihood activities),” Nasol said.

Velasco came with zero-knowledge on coco geonet production but after the two-day training, she proudly shared that she is now adept in twining and weaving coco geonets. With these skills, she is now qualified to apply at SOFACOFA B-Q as twiner or weaver with an opportunity to earn P300 daily.

The P7.62 million-worth Coco Geonet Production and Coco Peat Processing Project in this municipality is a PRDP I-REAP-funded enterprise designed to provide employment and livelihood opportunities to coconut farmers which will be implemented by the SOFACOFA B-Q, an organization composed of 1,057 organic coconut farmers in the province.

Industrialization of agriculture by value adding is one of the newly-appointed Department of Agriculture Secretary, William Dar’s paradigms, to increase farmers’ income and level up the country’s agriculture sector. ### (Annielyn L. Baleza, DA-RAFIS V)

Tunay Tapat Lahing Pilipino Cooperative Inc. Member, Rexzaldo Panday (rear, right), demonstrates the twining process to SOFACOFA B-Q members using wooden twining equipment.

PRDP-Bicol and PPMIU-Camarines Norte staff as well as trainors from Tunay Tapat Lahing Pilipino Cooperative Inc. pose for a photo with SOFACOFA B-Q members after the Training on Coco Geonet Processing.

Tunay Tapat Lahing Pilipino Cooperative Inc. Member Kim Jay Novenario (foreground, left) demonstrates the weaving process to the SOFACOFA B-Q members.

Tunay Tapat Lahing Pilipino Cooperative Inc. Project Manager Jayson Pedrocillo and Member Kim Jay Novenario demonstrate the process of sieving and carding during the training.

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