By Danny Estacio
Lucena City, Quezon – Coconut farmers in Quezon have a brighter future to look forward to following the recent launch of COllaboration for COconut Productivity and NUrturing Farmers’ Trade or Project COCONUT of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, through its social arm, Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc. (PSFI)
“Project COCONUT is about creating more environmentally sustainable fuels for the Philippines and more sustainable livelihood for coconut farmers by providing increased livelihood opportunities so that more Filipinos are able to provide adequately for their families,” says Edgar Veron Cruz, Executive Director of Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc. (PSFI).
Project COCONUT is Shell’s initiative in partnership with JNJ Group to help improve the lives of coconut farmers and help increase their income by maximizing opportunities for livelihood.
The project is aimed at addressing the needs of coconut farmers by helping organize a local coconut farmers’ cooperative, conducting seminars in managing coconut farms to improve their yield, and setting up training programs for sustainable income opportunities in processing coconut products such as handicrafts, jewelry and furniture
Through Project COCONUT, sustainable supply of Coco Methyl Ester (CME) as well as sustainable livelihood for farmers are made possible not only through Shell’s purchase of biofuel raw materials but also through supporting the community.
The pilot sites for the project are Unisan and Agdangan in Quezon province, wherein project survey shows about 50% of coconut farmers are relying exclusively on coconut farming, and within the 30-45 day intervals of their harvests, about 86% are operating below minimum wage.
Additionally, 66% are farming below 6 hectares of land, most of which are tenants or non-owners of the land they farm.
“Project COCONUT is an expansion of Shell’s previous initiatives for cleaner energy through biofuels while providing sustainable livelihood to coconut farmers,” said Shell International’s Biofuels Sustainability Compliance Officer, Helen Scholey during the MOA signing event yesterday in Lucena City.