After the third meeting last Friday, September 11, 2009, the prior week?s team rankings stayed on solid ground as follows: (1) United Coconut Planter Bank, (2) Mixed Nuts (Igual Commodities, Intertek Testing Services, Cosay & Co., Iligan Bay Milling and Trading, Toepfer International, UCAP Secretariat), (3) Chemrez Technologies, (4) Mixed Oils (Cargill Philippines, Stolt-Nielsen Philippines), (5) Minola (CIIF Oil Mills Group), (6) Pilipinas Kao.

       Data from the Philippine Coconut Authority show eight non-traditional coconut products generated revenue of more than USD100,000 in June this year to qualify for the top non-traditional export list. Leading the pack was GLYCERIN which earned USD2.502 million from export of 2,444 MT. This month?s volume increased by 11.5% year-ago figure at 2,192 MT. The shipment went almost exclusively to Japan, its biggest market, at 2,079 MT (85.0% share). Limited volume went to China 105 MT, Malaysia 69 MT, New Zealand 60 MT, Korea 44 MT, Russia 38 MT, Spain 22 MT, Thailand 20 MT, Canada 6 MT and Taiwan 2 MT, with combined share of 15.0%.

       Second biggest non-traditional export was NATA DE COCO with export receipts of USD727,882 from purchases of 781 MT. The volume leaped by 63.9% from a similar period year-ago data at 477 MT. Japan remained the biggest buyer at 544 MT comprising 69.6% of total sales. Smaller volumes went to U.S. at 98 MT, United Arab Emirates 44 MT, Korea 19 MT, Qatar and Hongkong 14 MT a piece; and 20 other countries led by Canada with uptake no higher than 9 MT and totaling 48 MT.

       VIRGIN COCONUT OIL took the third spot with income of USD574,637 from 207 MT shipment, an improvement by 17.8% from 176 MT a year earlier. The United States was the biggest outlet cornering 107 MT or 51.7% of total sales, trailed by Canada at 78 MT (37.8%). Eleven other countries led by Australia took no bigger than 8 MT; total purchase of the group was 22 MT (10.6%).

       TOILET/BATH SOAP ranked number four with proceeds of USD512,197. Volume at 121 MT slumped by 81.6% from 659 MT of the previous year. Top four destinations were Singapore at 24 MT, Malaysia 23 MT, Saudi Arabia 20 MT and Japan 17 MT, with combined share of 69.1%. Twenty-two other countries led by Guam bought no bigger than 9 MT with total volume of 37 MT.

       LIQUID COCONUT MILK landed fifth with turnover of USD490,133 from delivery of 321 MT. Tonnage during the month was 34.8% higher against the previous year at 238 MT. The United States was leading buyer capturing 113 MT or 35.1% of total business while Japan handled 103 MT or 31.9%. Other destinations were Bahrain and Brazil at 25 MT apiece, Portugal and Belgium at 18 MT a piece and United Arab Emirates at 13 MT. Three other countries jointly held 7 MT.

       COCONUT MILK POWDER was the top sixth export, earning USD360,871 from delivery of 124 MT. Shipment during the month more than doubled the previous year volume at 61 MT. Malaysia was the primary market with 36 MT (29.4%), followed by France which captured 26 MT (20.6%), U.S. 20 MT (16.0%), Mexico 16 MT (13.2%), Japan 13 MT (10.6%), and Korea 12 MT (9.8%). Two other countries contributed the remaining volume of 1 MT.

       SHAMPOO came in seventh place and generated income of USD173,345. Volume at 41 MT plunged by 68.6% from 132 MT of the previous year. Mongolia was leading importer with uptake of 12 MT or 29.4% of total business, trailed by United Arab Emirates at 10 MT, Guam 6 MT, and seventeen other countries led by Trust Territory of the Pacific with import no bigger than 3 MT.

       A coconut guidebook entitled Coconut Philippines and authored by Ms. Lalaine Villafuerte-Abonal, was adjudged Honorable Mention winner at the 2009 Green Book Festival, an annual competition honoring books that contribute to greater understanding, respect, and positive action on the changing worldwide environment. The yearly Green Book Festival is organized by JM Northern Media LLC, a company based in Hollywood, California and is focused on media and the people who make it. The author, Ms. Villafuerte-Abonal, is an ardent advocate of coconut products and is the founder of the company, Coconut Republic, based in California, which exports Philippine-made coconut products to US and Europe as well as Asia.

       Figures from USDA show U.S. import of lauric oil dropped 37.9% in July this year. Total import which amounted to 45,683 MT recorded a shortfall of 27,915 MT from same period year-ago at 73,598 MT. Palm kernel oil purchases declined substantially by 60.3% to 9,853 MT from 24,162 MT, while coconut oil tonnage dropped at a slower speed of 27.5% to 35,830 MT from 49,436 MT. Coconut oil accounted for 78.4% of total lauric oil uptake and palm kernel oil 21.6%.

       The Philippines was top supplier of lauric oil to the U.S. during the month with shipment of 28,687 MT of coconut oil, the equivalent of 62.8% of total import. The volume decreased by 14.5% from 33,562 MT a year ago. Malaysia was second biggest origin of lauric oil contributing 21.6% at 9,855 MT. Volume plunged by 59.4% from year-ago at 24,293 MT. This comprised mainly of palm kernel oil at 9,527 MT (24,162 MT year-ago) and coconut oil at 328 MT (131 MT). Indonesia was responsible for 16.1% at 7,341 MT, down 53.3% from last year at 15,743 MT. The product mix consisted of 7,015 MT of coconut oil (15,743 MT) and 326 MT (no record last year) coconut oil.

       Rapeseed oil consumption has grown appreciably lately in Sweden as Swedes discover the product?s health benefits. Data from industry organization Svensk Raps indicate sales of rapeseed oil in the country in January-June this year increased by 11% over the same period last year. The organization says no other oil in the country has experienced such a marked increase.

       Researchers at Texas A&M have cracked the code of gossypol, a toxin in cotton plants that repels insects but makes the seeds inedible to anything with less than four stomachs. After 10 years of study, Keerti Rathore, plant biotechnologist for Texas AgriLife, found a way to grow cotton that retains the gossypol in the plant while reducing the levels of toxicity in the seeds, making them consumable by humans. ?The rest of the plant has the same level of gossypol as a regular cotton plant, allowing it to defend itself from insects and diseases,? he said.

       Carlos St James, president of the Argentine Renewable Energy Chamber told participants at the Agra Informa Biodiesel Brazil conference in Sao Paulo recently that Argentina had shipped 153,000 MT of biodiesel in July this year, significantly more than in previous months. He said that 23,000 MT of biodiesel was exported in the first three days of July alone. Bulk of the tonnage went to European markets, displacing US produce which has been adversely affected by anti-dumping measures introduced by the European Commission in the spring.

       In a related development, Ricardo Dornelles, director of the Department of Renewable Fuels at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Brazil, told delegates at the Agra Informa Biodiesel Brazil conference in Sao Paulo that the country is to introduce a mandatory 5% biodiesel mix (B5) in 2010, three years ahead of schedule. He was certain that the plan would be achieved, given certain conditions. ?We introduced the B3 mandate in July 2008, followed by the B4 mandate in July 2009, with success,? Dornelles said. However, he emphasized that adopting a 5% mandate would require 2.4 billion liters of biodiesel, which is beyond what Brazil currently produces.

       A team of French scientists has found the appropriate dosage of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid, to prevent cardiovascular disease in healthy men. In a new study, the team has shown that a 200 mg dose of DHA per day is enough to affect biochemical markers that reliably predict cardiovascular problems, such as those related to aging, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. The research, published in The FASEB Journal, is the first to identify how much DHA is necessary to promote optimal heart health.