Coconut farmers in Misamis Occidental move into cooking oil production

P2.4M facility turns copra into a higher-value product.

Misamis Occidental coconut farmers eye bigger role in cooking oil production.

Coconut farmers and processors in Misamis Occidental could move beyond selling raw materials as a new ₱2.4-million processing facility opens the door to local coconut cooking oil production.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Misamis Occidental launched the Shared Service Facilities (SSF) project in Tangub City early this month, providing machinery to turn copra, or dried coconut meat, into cooking oil.

The facility was turned over to the local government of Tangub through the Misamis Occidental Coconut Farmers and Processors Association (MOCOFPA), which will directly benefit from the project.

Misamis Occidental has about 97,631 hectares devoted to coconut farming and produces an average of 41,093 metric tons of copra annually. Yet local processing has largely focused on traditional coconut products, with no established coconut cooking oil production in the province, the DTI said.

The new facility is designed to help local producers take the next step by processing copra into a finished product, potentially allowing more value to be generated locally rather than selling raw materials alone.

Whether this translates into better earnings for farmers will depend on the facility’s production capacity, operating costs and access to buyers for its cooking oil.

Through its SSF program, the DTI provides micro, small and medium enterprises with shared machinery and production equipment to improve efficiency and develop locally sourced agricultural products.

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