Cagayan de Oro City (04/11/08) – Northern Mindanao had a total copra production of 399,219 metric tons in 2007, up by 9.01% compared to 366,226MT in 2006.

“Its farm gate price also increased from Php14.17/kg. to Php20.28/kg. or 43.12% and its mill gate price, from Php16.49/kg. to Php23.58/kg.,” Regional Manager Luis G. Cruz of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), region 10, said.

Cruz said all of the region’s five (5) provinces improved their copra production with Lanao del Norte posting the highest, from 122,476MT to137,893 MT or 12.59%.

This was followed by Misamis Occidental, from 111,431MT to 124,627MT or 11.84%, Misamis Oriental, 100,657MT to 104,466MT or 3.78%, Camiguin, 22,387MT to 22,838MT or 2.01% and lowest in Bukidnon, from 9,275MT to 9,395MT or 1.29%.

Meanwhile, a PCA inventory revealed there were 32,750,535 coconut trees in the region, as of the end of 2007 but only 31,960,468 or 95% of them were fruit bearing while the other 1,955,190 or 5% were non-bearing.

The highest number of fruit-bearing trees was in the province of Mis. Occ. with 10,206,066, followed by Mis. Or., 9,916,853, Lanao del Norte, 8,398,338, Camiguin, 1,798,382 and Bukidnon, 685,639 trees.

Again, the highest number of non-bearing trees was in Mis. Or., with 535,810, followed by Mis. Occ., 416,822, Lanao del Norte, 457,461, Camiguin, 374,900 and Bukidnon, 173,107 trees.

On the other hand, Cruz said a total of 46,491 senile coconut trees have been cut in the region during the year, up by 8.12% compared to 42,998 coconut trees cut in the previous year.

“The cutting of these trees has been approved in the 736 permits issued out of the same number of applications processed during the period in connection with the implementation of Republic Act No. 8048 otherwise known as the “Coconut Preservation Act of 1995,” he said.

The most number of senile coconut trees were cut in Mis. Or. with 12,410 trees, followed by Lanao del Norte, 12,206, Mis. Occ., 10,526, Camiguin, 8,233 and Bukidnon, 3,116 trees.

Cruz also said a total of 298,072.30 hectares of land have been planted to coconut in the region, last year, with the largest area located in Mis. Or. with 101,698 ha., followed by Mis. Occ., 97,630.59 ha., Lanao del Norte, 75,326.50 ha., Camiguin, 14,859.21 ha. and Bukidnon, 8,558 ha. (Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob, Philippine Information Agency 10)