COCONUT farmers and farmer associations and cooperatives in Quezon province recently participated in a series of training spearheaded by the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist of Quezon in partnership with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA).
SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio said the series of trainings under the project titled "Development of Coconut Industry Growth Areas in the Province of Quezon" was participated by four municipalities in the province on September 18 to 20.
Gregorio said the training series were designed to equip individual farmers and farmer associations or cooperatives on high-value crops and livestock integration, as well as marketing strategies for coconut products.
"The training series was a comprehensive journey that equipped the farmers with various skills from production to marketing empowering them to diversify their products and increase their income potential in the coconut industry," he said.
Gregorio added that the training series also included hands-on demonstration on coconut sap-based products processing, including sugar, lambanog (coconut wine or spirit) and virgin coconut oil (VCO).
The session on Marketing Strategies for Coconut By-Products covered topics on packaging, labeling and current market trends.
From the municipalities of Catanauan and Lopez, coconut farmers learned effective packaging methods and developed branding strategies for their products.
Gregorio said the training series also provided insights on trading the commodity, along with an analysis of prevailing market trends to enable farmers to position their products effectively in the competitive marketplace.
"This comprehensive approach aimed to enhance their marketing expertise, contributing to their coconut-based enterprises' sustainability and profitability," he said.
Meanwhile, the training conducted for farmers from Pitogo, Macalelon and Catanauan was focused on high-value crops integration with livestock, such as swine, poultry, and small and large ruminants.
The topic in the training series for the three localities focused on intercropping with various crops, including cash crops, food crops and those that enhance nutritional security. The aim was also to ensure farmers generate year-round farm income.
"The session emphasized product diversification, the value addition of coconut intercrops and the recycling of waste biomass through vermicomposting," Gregorio said.
With a hands-on workshop guiding the farmers in selecting and designing intercropping strategies tailored to their 1 hectare plots, Gregorio said the interactive approach of the training series "encouraged informed decision-making on the types of crops most suitable for their land, maximizing both productivity and sustainability."
At the training Macalelon town with participating farmers from Catanauan, Pitogo and Macalelon, the farmers were engaged in hands-on training focused on producing lambanog, VCO and coco sugar.
Best practices in processing these coconut by-products were introduced to farmers to enhance their understanding of quality standards and efficient production techniques.
The farmers were also given the opportunity to taste test various coconut-based products brought by the speakers from their production lines, allowing them to assess the quality of the finished products firsthand.
They were also taken on a farm tour and witnessed a demonstration of the proper techniques for collecting coconut sap, the primary ingredient for lambanog and coco sap sugar.
This immersion among the participants reinforced the importance of accurate and sustainable sap collection practices that are critical for maintaining product quality and optimizing yields.