DTI projects promising market for Antique coco-based products

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique - The coconut-based products produced by farmers and processors in the province of Antique have a promising market. 'The coco-based products have a good acceptance in the market that we encourage more processors to engage on it,' Department of Trade and Industry provincial director Mutya Eusores said during Hinun-anon (media conference) on Tuesday. Among their products with good market potential are coco cookies, virgin coconut oil (VCO), coco peat, and coco lampshade. To encourage more processors, Eusores said the DTI holds training for associations of coconut farmers. DTI Antique Industry Development Unit head Gevi Kristina Villafuerte said 30 individuals joined their training on coconut-based food processing in the island municipality of Caluya on Aug. 14-15. 'The participants were taught how to make coco jam and virgin coconut oil,' she said. The DTI also provided training and shared service facility on coco food production to the Anini-y Coco Food Producers Associati on in Barangay Nato in the municipality of Anini-y. Association president Leo Laurio Lupango said they produce coconut cookies, buko pie, and macaroons, which earned them a monthly average of PHP16,000 from consignments at the Produkto Antiqueño trade center in Barangay Dalipe and the Tindahan Local at the old Antique capitol in San Jose de Buenavista. They get orders from retailers in Iloilo City and other parts of Western Visayas and join trade fairs to increase sales. 'We hired four association members to produce coco-based food products. Our members get a share from the sales generated at the end of the year,' Lupango said. In a previous interview, Dr. Clarissa Esmenos, owner of Arianna Coco Products, said that aside from producing the VCO as a soothing rub, they also process the coconut husk as coco peat and the coco shell as charcoal. She said agricultural supply stores in Iloilo City order coco peat that they use as organic fertilizer. Villafuerte said that in coordination with the Philippine Coc onut Authority, they profiled 48,645 coconut farmers registered with the National Coconut Farmers Registry System in Antique. Source: Philippines News Agency