Thirty students from Oriental Mindoro and Palawan have completed a training program in coconut processing aimed at creating new livelihood opportunities, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) has announced.

The training is part of the national government’s goal to strengthen the coconut industry, which remains a crucial economic sector across the country.

The Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan, launched in 2022, targets to rehabilitate and modernize the coco sector using a 75-billion-peso levy fund.

The students learned to make products such as buko juice and coco jam during the training, which was funded by ATI-MIMAROPA with a budget of P350,000 pesos.

The program was conducted in collaboration with several agencies including the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

“This covers basic food hygiene, cleanliness of personnel in the processing facility, equipment cleaning procedures, and quality checks,” said Jesse Pine, DOST Oriental Mindoro provincial director.

Sister Leila M. Montero, technical director of Mary Help of Christians School-Mindoro, which hosted part of the training, said: “They have land and coconut trees in their areas, so this will help them not only in planting but also in utilizing the fruits.”

The coconut industry is particularly important in Oriental Mindoro, where fertile soil and favorable climate support extensive farming among Mindoreño communities.

The Philippines ranks as the world’s second-largest coconut producer after Indonesia, and leads global exports of coconut products, accounting for approximately 70% of virgin coconut oil exports worldwide.

However, the sector faces some problems including aging trees, limited processing skills and difficult market access.

An estimated 51 million of the country’s 340 million coconut trees are considered too old and in need of replacement.