PHILIPPINE Coconut Authority senior agricultural technologist Carmelo Tandugon said Bohol accounts for more than 40,000 metric tons of copra shipped out of the province every year raising the country's capability in alternative oil. The Bohol data is based on the estimated 9,806,290 fruit bearing coconut trees in the province, each tree averaging 25.64 nuts every year. Bohol 's copra is transported to Cebu and Mindanao , where it is processed into crude oil, the leading coconut export product. Other coconut products that are in demand here and abroad include charcoal, dessicated coconut and coconut virgin oil.

Another product that is expected to hit the international market is geo-textile coconut fibers or coco-coirs. The product is now actively laid out as flood control mechanisms in China . It is actually from coconut husks, decortified and woven into a fabric that is biodegradable and blends well with the environment. In Bohol , Decorticating machines are now in place in Ubay and other areas to facilitate the production of geo-textile, Tandugon added.

This as the volume of coconut-based products shipped out of the country in January has jumped to about 59.5% or about 179,000 metric tons in copra equivalent. The rise can be attributed to the different technologies and studies done by government on possible by-products out of the raw materials from the “tree of life”. Tandugon said that a business forum will be held next week on the improved production and marketing of virgin coconut oil in the province. PIA(AEE)