Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon welcomes a new opportunity for Davao Oriental’s coconut farmers, which promises to improve farming practices, increase farmers’ incomes, and contribute to a more sustainable and responsible coconut industry.

Earlier today, April 11, 2023, executives from Franklin Baker, one of the country’s leading suppliers of coconut ingredients, met with Governor Malanyaon at the Provincial Capitol.

During the meeting, Franklin Baker expressed its intention to establish buying stations for coconuts in strategic places across the province.

Vice President for Operations Renelle Manansala said the company hopes to buy coconuts directly from the farmers through farmer cooperatives. This means eliminating the middlemen in the supply chain and higher income for the farmers.

With two major sustainability projects, the company hopes to work closely with farmers to ensure they have the knowledge and resources needed to produce the best possible crops.

In recent months, Franklin Baker has visited different barangays in the province to educate and train farmers and consolidators, particularly on nut quality and specifications, good agricultural practices, and Organic Certification Standards, among many others.

Aside from that, the company hopes to maintain a healthy and stable supply of high-quality coconuts to increase Davao Oriental’s volume share in sourcing nuts. Last year, the company only got 1,200 metric tons from Davao Oriental. “We want to go high at least 20 percent,” said Manansala. The company underscores the need to increase the sources of coconuts amidst the high local and export demand.

One of the biggest coconut factories in the Philippines, Franklin Baker, has two factories in the Davao region, utilizing 1.2 million nuts daily or 1,200 metric tons sourced from different provinces. It has ties with leading brands such as Mars Chocolate and Danone.

Governor Malanyaon expressed her optimism about the opportunity amidst Copra’s fluctuating and volatile price, which discourages farmers. Franklin Baker assured the Governor that farmers could get better returns than transforming coconuts into copra.

“We really welcome you coming here. More investors coming here to develop our industries, particularly the coconut, would be most welcome,” said Governor Malanyaon.

With this new opportunity, the provincial government hopes to see more empowered coconut farmers, boost the province’s coconut industry, and encourage sustainable farming practices. (PR-PIO DavOr | Photos by Oliver Alvite)