Coco By-Product Processing; Skills training for Rural Women

​“Pulos gyud useful sa kinabuhi ang among mga natun-an. Kumpleto: pwede sa panginabuhian, sa pampagwapa, ug tambal. Among paningkamutan nga ang tanan namong natun-an, ma-re-echo sa komunidad ug ma-apply usab sa among tagsa-tagsa ka mga pamilya” Elsa Nolasco, training participant.
(Everything that we have learned from this experience is useful. Complete in the sense that it could be used for livelihood, cosmetics and medicinal purposes. We will do our best that all these learnings shall be shared with our communites and families as well)

Participants extract coco milk from the grated coco meat during their practicum

Resource Person Ms. Jeanette Madas supervises participants during the practicum on making VCO

Promoting coco by-products and processing to increase income of the coconut farmers, Pasali hosted a three-day training on Coco By-Product Processing for Rural Women last September 19-21, 2016. The training was held at Sarangani Learning and Resource Center, DatuDani, Kiamba and attended by 28 participants from the municipalities of Maitum and Kiamba, Sarangani Province.

The training was done through series of lectures by Ms. Jeanette Madas, from Mindanao State University as resource speaker.  She taught the rural women on the village-level Processing Technology, General Operation Requirements, By-products and Downstream Products, Basic Costing and Operation and Maintenance Procedures using coco By-products which mainly focused on VCO (Virgin Coconut Oil) Production Processes, soap making using coco milk and coco vinegar production.
​
Along with this, the resource person also discussed to them the basic costing for the processed products. It is essential that an entrepreneur must always know how to compute the cost and return analysis. Moreover, the equipment and facilities costs must always be included in the pricing of processed products. Many small and medium entrepreneurs switched from copra production to making VCO for local use and export sales, which significantly increased their profit, according to Ms. Madas.

Training participants prepare ingredients for their coco vinegar during the practicum

A group of participants poses with their finished products after the practicum

Helping one another, participants do their Personal Protective Equipment during the practicum

The participants not only listened attentively to the lecture but also enjoyed a lot during their practicum on modified kitchen and fermentation methods on processing VCO. They were also instructed on how to properly wear the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) that includes apron, face mask, hair net and gloves to prevent contamination.
 

At the end of the three-day event, the training certainly gave awareness on social transformation, anchoring on different range of concern especially on developing the skills of rural women through training, is in a way, part of women empowerment.

'Cocos nucifera' is the scientifice name of Coconut Tree. It grows throughout the country and is considered as a "tree of life". Apart from cash crop or a direct source of income, it is also a source of nutrition and materials. Other relevant coconut products in the market are Coconut shell, Coconut wood products, Nata de Coco, Coco water, Coco Sap Vinegar and Coco Coir. The greatest economic benefits of coconut trees to farmers come from drying the coconuts into copra for further processing into copra oil.