Philippine province set to produce cooking oil from copra
The Philippine province of Misamis Occidental is establishing a PHP2.4 million facility to produce cooking oil from locally sourced copra, supporting coconut farmers and processors. The project aims to strengthen local processing capacity, as Philippine coconut-based exports rose 2.8% to $2.36 billion during January–August.
The Philippine state of Misamis Occidental is setting up a PHP2.4M (US$37,805) facility to produce cooking oil from locally produced copra, Business Mirror wrote.
With a coconut planted area of 97,632ha, the province – located in Northern Mindanao – produced on average 41,093M tonnes/year of copra, the 22 October report said.
After launching the Shared Service Facility (SSF) in Tangub City on 8 October, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) handed control of the plant to the local government and the Misamis Occidental Coconut Farmers and Processors Association (MOCOFPA).
The facility was equipped with a white copra drying system, hammer mill, copra expeller, two settling tanks, an oil pump, filter press, deodorising system and storage tanks, the report said.
At the launch of the project, DTI Region 10 regional director Ruel Paclipan said the project was part of the agency’s drive to develop local processing.
The DTI provides shared machinery and production equipment to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through its SSF programme to address gaps in processing technology and equipment.
The project’s launch came against a backdrop of modest growth in Philippine coconut-based exports, Business Mirror wrote.
According to Philippine Statistics Authority data, the value of coconut-based products exports from the country totalled US$2.36bn from January-August, up 2.8% from US$2.3bn in the same period the previous year.
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Source : OFI Magazine
