Aklan may lose title of having biggest coco cover in WV if...
Kalibo, Aklan -- Aklan, considered as the province in Western Visayas with the biggest coconut cover might be dislodged from this position by neighboring province of Antique if Aklanons do not start replanting to replace old unproductive trees now and those cut for other purposes.
With the current demand for coconuts for various purposes besides copra making, vacant lands in the province should also be planted with the so-called "tree of life" now.
Plevy Reyes Raco, Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Aklan's Provincial Coconut Development Manager said during an interview over a local radio station here that during the PCA's Regional Coco Week celebration in Iloilo City, the province of Antique, represented by Gov. Sally Perez, was cited by the agency for supporting the coconut replanting program and for procurement of a total of thousands of high quality seed nuts for the development of the coconut industry in the region and in the province.
In five year's time, said Raco, Antique may have more coconut trees than Aklan.
Aklan, according to Raco, has currently some 498,574 senile trees found in all municipalities and these should be replaced soon, replanted with coconut seeds of good quality.
PCA's current program, the "Hatid Punla" Replanting Program, said Raco, will enable Aklan to remain as having the biggest coconut cover in the region if coco farmers will avail of the high quality seed nuts now available at their Libas nursery in Banga, Aklan, and start planting now.
The Aklan PCA head said each seednut costs P25 pesos plus a freight fee of P2 pesos for a total of P27.00. Raco said the seednuts are of Genetically Multi-Ancestral (GMA) variety.
Raco said now is the time to give the coconut tree a serious attention, being the "tree of life" as all its plant parts from the roots to its leaves have uses.
Currently, the price of copra has gone up, said Raco, and besides copra making, coconuts are in demand in the province in the production of the much hailed and in-demand Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO).
"Compared to copra making, coconut farmers could earn more by producing virgin coconut oil as 15 mature nuts could produce a liter of VCO which could cost P500.00", said Raco.
In Aklan however, only one virgin coconut oil producer is BFAD-registered, although households and some cooperatives are now producing for local consumption.
PCA's radio interview over RMN-DYKR was one of the agency's activities in celebration of the 10th PCA Regional Coco Week. The other activity was a training on Coco Twine Making conducted by the Ibajay Small Coconut Farmers Development Cooperative. This cooperative produces cooking oil and makes use of coconut by-products by turning these into coconut nets, floor mats, and doormats.
"The coconut nets made from coconut husk fibers, in demand in the foreign markets are useful in preventing soil erosion and makes growing of plants in bald mountains and inhabitable areas possible," explained Raco.
"The industry in Ibajay also helped employ some 350 families who engage in coco twine making that enable them to enhance their income and keep them away from vices," revealed Raco.
(PIA/VGVillanueva)