The Coconut Farm Development Program (CFDP) has posed a remarkable impact in sustaining the coconut industry in the country, CIIF President and CEO, and UCAP Chairman Danilo M. Coronacion told members of UCAP Cocohouse at this month?s Cocohouse luncheon held last Tuesday at the Tropical Palms Condominium, Makati City. The project is being undertaken in cooperation with 292 farmer cooperatives and organizations, 42 local government units, 72 diocesan social action centers and 20 state-universities and colleges.

       Approved on September 18, 2007 in the Cabinet in the presence of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the CFDP paved its way in helping the coconut farmers through planting and replanting, copra processing, building information kiosk, intercropping. In the same manner, through the implementation of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), the CIIF Oil Mills funded the participatory coconut planting and replanting, salt fertilization, coconut-corn intercropping and pest management components of the program.

       Under these program components, about 169 village level coconut nurseries have been established with more than 17.4 million seedlings planted in more than 174,000 hectares. Moreover, the CIIF has extended funding assistance to PCA?s Participatory Coconut Productivity Program to individual farmers who have planted at least 7.38 million seedlings in about 73,800 hectares. The CIIF as member of the Anti-Hunger Mitigation Program funded the PCA?s coconut-corn intercropping project that included the distribution of about 100,000 bags of corn seeds to more than 49,000 farmers in typhoon-devastated areas for planting in more than 40,400 hectares.

       The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading House Bill 615, also known as ?The Trans Fat Labeling Act?. The bill prohibits the sale of fats and oils that contain trans fatty acids exceeding one-half gram per one hundred grams of oil or fat. It requires manufacturers to state in the food label the correct amount of trans fat content. The bill also states that a product claimed to be ?free of trans fatty acids? should not contain more than one-fourth gram per one hundred grams of the individual fat in the finished product.

       Camarines Sur Representative Luis Villa-fuerte, principal author of the measure, noted that trans fats make people more prone to obesity, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, eczema, psoriasis, Parkinson?s disease and other disorders. He said the bill paves the way for consumers to look for alternative healthy choices which have lower, or none at all, trans fats. The bill also promotes the use of coconut oil as an alternative to imported hydrogenated vegetable oils such as soy, corn, canola and sunflower oils in the manufacture of processed foods and as cooking oil. He added that the use of coconut oil would help prevent numerous diseases and lessen health care costs in the Philippines.

       Figures from USDA show the U.S. imported 76,388 MT of lauric oils in February this year, a whopping 102.1% increase from 37,805 MT in the same month a year ago. Of this total, coconut oil accounted for 57% at 43,536 MT which in turn registered a hefty 54.8% increase from year-ago at 28,126 MT. Palm kernel oil which comprised 43% likewise hiked by a massive 239.4% to 32,852 MT from 9,679 MT. Total import in January-February stood at 159,955 MT, a leap by 45.5% from 109,952 MT. Coconut oil was 86,653 MT (75,234 MT a year ago) while palm kernel oil was 73,302 MT (34,718 MT).

       According to statistics from Oil World, China imported 54,200 MT of lauric oils in February this year. As against uptake of 78,100 MT in a similar period last year, current level indicates a 30.6% shortfall. Palm kernel oil, which accounted for 77.7% of total lauric import, dropped by 17.9% to 42,100 MT from 51,300 MT. Coconut oil, which shared 22.3%, declined substantially by 54.8% to 12,100 MT from 26,800 MT.

       Indonesia remained the biggest supplier responsible for 86.7% of total during the month with delivery of 47,000 MT (72,100 MT year-ago) of which 35,100 MT was palm kernel oil (45,600 MT) and 11,900 MT (26,500 MT) was coconut oil. Shipment from Malaysia was 7,000 MT (5,700 MT) of palm kernel oil and accounted for 12.9%. The Philippines was responsible for merely 200 MT (300 MT) of coconut oil or 0.4% share.

       Yelena Skrynnik of Russia's Agriculture Ministry disclosed that the current 5% import tariff for palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil for canisters and containers larger than 200 kg would soon be increased with effect on June 01 this year. While she did not mention the new tariff levels, a leading industry analyst in the country said that palm oil duty would be adjusted to more than double its current level to 11%.

       Chinese scientists announced last week that they have bred rapeseeds with record high oil content up to 60%. Prof. Fu Tingdong, a renowned botanist from Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan said the 20 new rapeseed species, with oil content of 55-60%, have been planted on trial basis in six Chinese localities including Tibet, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang since last year.

       According to Australia?s latest official customs statistics, the country?s edible oil exports has risen considerably since the start of the year following higher oilseed output this year. Canola (rapeseed) oil was the leading edible oil export with volume increasing by 72% to 15,358 MT in the first two months of the year, from 8,884 MT in the same period of 2008. Malaysia was the biggest outlet with 36% market share, followed by South Korea with 27% and New Zealand with 22%. The Australian Oilseeds Federation (AOF) last February raised its projected output for canola for the 2008/09 season to 1.878 million MT, from January forecast of 1.615 million MT.