300 PH coco farmers get certification
THREE hundred coconut farmers in Mindanao are among the first in the world to secure certification from the Rainforest Alliance for the sustainable production of copra, according to the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ).
Based in New York City, the Rainforest Alliance advocates the conservation of biodiversity and ensuring sustainable livelihoods through better land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior.
Certification by the Rainforest Alliance is based on the standards set by the Mexico-based Sustainable Agriculture Network, which is also an international network of non-profit organizations.
The German-backed project, based in General Santos City is partly funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The Philippine units of German firms BASF and Cargill are also participating through the purchase “at premium prices” of the certified high-quality copra, which is used in the production of coconut oil.
The 300 farmers are part of more than 1,000 who have been taking part in the project since 2011, and who have been trained in good agricultural practices such as the right use of fertilizers, intercropping and replanting—all meant to help them increase farm yield in the long term.
“This pilot project was very successful in bringing together the strengths of public and private partners,” Ulla Keppel, GIZ’s project manager for DeveloPPP.de, said in a statement.
“BASF and Cargill have brought their expertise and technology to bear,” Keppel said. “GIZ has managed the project and contributed with its experience in supporting the formation of farmers’ groups as well as implementing good agricultural practices and the sustainability standard.”
She added that the project’s results had paved the way for possible expansion and extension to other areas in Mindanao.
The GIZ notes that the Philippines, where about one-fourth of the country’s agricultural lands is planted to coconuts, is one of the top producers of coconut products in the world, with an output of 15 billion coconuts yearly.
But while coconut exports reach close to $2 billion yearly, “coconut producing regions are among the least developed areas in the country and home to some of the largest numbers of Philippine’s rural poor,” the German agency said.
