Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Coco farmers, Traders in Negros Join Hands for High-Quality Copra
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DUMAGUETE CITY – Coconut farmers and copra traders in Negros Oriental have vowed to work together to prevent the loss of the country’s biggest foreign copra market-the European Union (EU).
Brendan Transmonte, Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) provincial chair, said the two stakeholders passed a joint resolution early this month after the EU demanded higher-quality copra.
According to the resolution, copra traders or buyers who do not have dryers who do not have dryers will no longer buy fresh coconut meat. The traders also promised to reject copra of poor quality.
The resolution also sought the creation of the Provincial Copra Quality Improvement Program Management Committee that will monitor the quality of copra produced locally and formulate policies and plans on the implementation of the PCA’s copra quality improvement program, among others.
It is also pushed for an intensive information drive on the EU directive that was adopted by most of its members last year, which demanded a higher quality of copra.
Transmonte said the directive stipulated that the acceptable content of afltoxin in copra should not be more than 20 parts per billion. Aflatoxin is a toxic compound produced by a mold or fungus in agricultural crops that have not been carefully stored. It can cause hepatitis and liver cancer.
In a recent study conducted by the PCA, the level of aflatoxin contamination in copra produced in the country went as high as 103 parts per billion in Central Mindanao.
In Central Visayas, where Negros Oriental belongs, the aflatoxin contamination was 100 parts per billion.
Trasmonte said the coconut industry, one of the country’s major dollar earners, will be in serious trouble if the quality of copra from the Philippines does not conform to standards set by the EU.
“This is a serious problem and could put the coconut industry in the country in jeopardy. That is why stakeholders of the industry should work together to upgrade the quality of copra,” Trasmonte said.
More than 50,000 people in Negros Oriental are directly dependent on the coconut industry. There are 50,460 hectares of land in the province planted with coconut trees.
Trasmonte said improper techniques and procedures in the processing of copra, from harvesting to drying, as well as the improper handling of coconut meat were the main culprits in the poor quality of the product.
Romy G. Amarado, August 24, 2004, Philippine Daily Inquirer
Proceed to Best of Pinoys
Brendan Transmonte, Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) provincial chair, said the two stakeholders passed a joint resolution early this month after the EU demanded higher-quality copra.
According to the resolution, copra traders or buyers who do not have dryers who do not have dryers will no longer buy fresh coconut meat. The traders also promised to reject copra of poor quality.
The resolution also sought the creation of the Provincial Copra Quality Improvement Program Management Committee that will monitor the quality of copra produced locally and formulate policies and plans on the implementation of the PCA’s copra quality improvement program, among others.
It is also pushed for an intensive information drive on the EU directive that was adopted by most of its members last year, which demanded a higher quality of copra.
Transmonte said the directive stipulated that the acceptable content of afltoxin in copra should not be more than 20 parts per billion. Aflatoxin is a toxic compound produced by a mold or fungus in agricultural crops that have not been carefully stored. It can cause hepatitis and liver cancer.
In a recent study conducted by the PCA, the level of aflatoxin contamination in copra produced in the country went as high as 103 parts per billion in Central Mindanao.
In Central Visayas, where Negros Oriental belongs, the aflatoxin contamination was 100 parts per billion.
Trasmonte said the coconut industry, one of the country’s major dollar earners, will be in serious trouble if the quality of copra from the Philippines does not conform to standards set by the EU.
“This is a serious problem and could put the coconut industry in the country in jeopardy. That is why stakeholders of the industry should work together to upgrade the quality of copra,” Trasmonte said.
More than 50,000 people in Negros Oriental are directly dependent on the coconut industry. There are 50,460 hectares of land in the province planted with coconut trees.
Trasmonte said improper techniques and procedures in the processing of copra, from harvesting to drying, as well as the improper handling of coconut meat were the main culprits in the poor quality of the product.
Romy G. Amarado, August 24, 2004, Philippine Daily Inquirer
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