“Unknown” Coco Product Earns Over $100-M Yearly

By Cai U. Ordinario, Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas & Manuel T. Cayon | Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAO CITY AND MANILA—Black is the new color of money; and it grows on trees. Coconut trees, in fact, that are abundant in the archipelago.

According to University of the Philippines economist Ramon Clarete, coconuts grow best three kilometers from the shore and, being an archipelago, the Philippines is naturally endowed with what would seem an endless coastline peppered with rows of coconuts.