2 Cooperatives in Bicol Region Recipients of Coco Processing Facilities Worth Php33 Million

Two cooperatives in the Bicol Region will receive shared processing facilities (SPFs) for coconut worth Php33 million, which will benefit over 500 farmer-members under the Coconut Farmers Industry Development Program (CFIDP).  Head engineer Niño Bengosta of the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) South Luzon said they are in the process of procuring equipment for the beneficiaries from the provinces of Albay and Camarines Sur.
The project is an inter-agency collaboration whereby PHilMech will be provided the processing facilities, machines, and other units that are needed, while the construction of the building is with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), said Bengosta.  They are expected to deliver the facilities by the first quarter of 2024, he added.
The two cooperatives are the Tunay Tapat Lahing Pilipino Cooperative (TTLPC) in Barangay Bonbon, Libon, Albay, and the Ragay Coco Eskwela Turismo Kabuhayan Agriculture Cooperative in Upper Sta. Cruz in Ragay, Camarines Sur.  TTLPC will receive an SPF for producing white copra worth Php20 million integrated into their existing coco coir center, while the latter will receive Php13 million SPF for producing coconut sugar and coco nectar.  The two cooperatives will operate and manage the facilities that will benefit more than 500 coconut farmers.