Camp Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao – The newly-established Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will soon be the gateway for the export of mature and green coconuts saving farmers from the region and other parts of Mindanao from the hardships brought by very low prices of copra.
BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Murad Ebrahim, the interim head of the autonomous regional government and chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), yesterday accepted the proposal of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) for the enactment of a legislation by the BARMM Parliament allowing the export of mature and young coconuts from the region.
“This will be a great help to our coconut farmers because the price of copra now is very low,” Chief Minister Ebrahim said during his meeting with MinDA Chairman, Secretary Manny Piñol, in the main camp of the MILF in Maguindanao Province.
The meeting between the two former bitter enemies was held shortly before the arrival of President Rody Duterte in Sultan Kudarat town for the decommissioning of 1,060 MILF combatants and firearms attended by top government officials and foreign dignitaries.
While the export of green coconuts is now allowed by the national government, there is still a prohibition on the export of mature coconuts, a move perceived as a protection in the past for local oil mills which monopolised the coconut industry for ages.
The glut in the supply of vegetable oil in the world market, however, brought the prices down from about P30 per kilo two years ago to only P12 to P14 per kilo.
There is a huge demand for husked mature coconuts in China, the Middle East, Europe and the United States of America but attempts to lift the national government ban failed.
The acceptance by the BARMM Chief of the proposal to allow the export of mature coconuts through the Region will allow coconut farmers to earn the equivalent of about P32 to P40 per kilo.
Since they will be selling whole husked nuts, the farmers will also be saved from the arduous task of taking out the coconut meat from the shell and drying the copra before selling it.
Chief Minister Murad said BARMM will assist importers of mature coconuts in establishing Coconut Processing Units (CPU), where the coconuts will be cleaned, packed and placed in 40-foot containers, in at least five areas in the region.
The proposed location of the CPUs, according to Chief Minister Murad, are Polloc Port in Maguindanao, Malabang in Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawitawi.
Coconut farmers from other parts of Mindanao, including Leyte and Samar could also benefit from this development as there is a huge demand for whole husked coconuts because of its multiple uses – from shell to meat and water.
The export of mature and young coconuts will be the first attempt by the BARMM to access the export market to help its agricultural producers.
(Photos by Mayette Tudlas and Samuel Ponsica, Mindanao Development Authority)
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