At the second World Coconut Congress, industry players here and
abroad come together to tackle issues that are shaping the landscape — one of
which is best practices in coconut farming and product development that local
players, like ProSource International Inc. (ProSource), are focusing on.
Organized by the United Coconut Association of the Philippines
(UCAP), the conference centralizes on coconut supply and value chain. Covering
wide-ranging topics — from coconut solutions for health and environment,
coconut biodiesel, to the latest on coconut oil health research — the said
event seeks to promote Philippine coconut products globally.
At present, there is an observed paradigm shift in worldwide market
behavior on choosing healthier and sustainable alternatives known as
‘Conscientious Consumerism’, as defined by the Network of Business
Sustainability. With this, more and more consumers are seen to be promoting
local industries, patronizing cruelty-free cosmetics, reducing plastic use, and
generally, turning to healthier and more ethical diets.
To the key players in the Philippine coconut industry, the
eminence of the coconut trade stems from the significant shift in consumer
values towards healthful living. For them, it is but an exciting opportunity to
strike on now that the concept of “going green”, or lessening our environmental
impact by way of creating more informed choices, is deliberately finding its
way into Filipino sensibilities.
ProSource, for one, started innovating with the Coconut. They
have introduced to the market the likes of coconut calming oil, organic coconut
wraps, coconut crunch, and its classic hero product, the Virgin Coconut Oil,
among others. This is foreseen to be a springboard for other players to also
start getting creative with the fruit with its promise of a warm reception from
the market.
Worldwide values of coconut products have developed steadily
since 2014, and in 2017, with the Philippines reportedly exporting coconut oil
at over $1.46 billion in total returns, putting the country amongst the world’s
top coconut producers.
With the significant shift in consumer values towards healthful
living, and the local industry players’ ingenuity to toil on this worldwide
demand, the Philippines is once again set to be in the forefront of the global
stage — with its competitive edge of the mastery of the miracle fruit.
