Market Performance Of High Value Products Of Coconut – The Philippine Experience
The coconut has metamorphosed. It has been transformed from a mere nut into various products. First on line were the traditional products copra, coconut oil, copra meal, desiccated coconut and by-product coconut shell charcoal. Then followed oleochemicals derived from coconut oil, and activated carbon from coco shell charcoal. The transformation added value to coconut and its products. Furthermore, other parts of the coconut such as the husk, meat, water and even the spate also have evolved into high value products. The conversions scaled farther higher with concomitant gains in value for the benefit of the industry and stakeholders. The presentation will show how the Philippine coconut industry has morphed from a purely copra and husked nuts industry to what it has become now, generating revenue of over USD1.000 billion a year. Unless otherwise indicated, most figures are based on average of the five-year period 2011-2015.