IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2018) 9-1

Research articleerd

Productivity and Sustainability of Coconut Production andHusk Utilization in the Philippines: Coconut Husk
Availability and Utilization
JIMMY POGOSA*
Visayas State University, Baybay City, Philippines
Email: jimmy.pogosa@vsu.edu.ph

VICTOR ASIO
Visayas State University, Baybay City, Philippines

MARLITO BANDE
Visayas State University, Baybay City, Philippines

SAURO BIANCHI
Bern University of Applied Sciences, Biel/Bienne, Switzerland

JAN GRENZ
Bern University of Applied Sciences, Bern, Switzerland

FRÉDÉRIC PICHELIN
Bern University of Applied Sciences, Biel/Bienne, Switzerland
Received 31 December 2017

Accepted 5 May 2018(*Corresponding Author)

Abstract The technical possibility to manufacture fibreboards based on coconut husk andbonded with tannin adhesive formulation was shown. However, there were limited
information on the husk production in different coconut producing provinces in thePhilippines. Surveys and interviews were conducted to assess husk productivity andutilization by the smallholder coconut farmers. In 2014 and 2015, a total of 13 top coconut
producing provinces in the Philippines were surveyed. A total of 1,200 coconut farmerswere interviewed. A total of 200 nuts were sampled from the six provinces in thePhilippines to characterize husk of coconut. Statistical analysis results showed that theweight of husks are significantly different (p ≤ 0.05) between the provinces across theislands. The heaviest husks (dry weight) were in the province of Northern Samar (463 ± 11grams). The mean density (ton ha-1 yr-1) of husk production in the 13 provinces wasanalyzed using the Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial analyst tool. Among the13 provinces surveyed, Davao Oriental in Mindanao had the highest density (0.70 – 1.43),
followed by Camarines Sur (0.66 – 1.29) in Luzon. In the Visayas, Northern Samar (0.55 –1.17) has the highest density.
Keywords coconut, sustainability, husk production, husk utilization

INTRODUCTION
Husk production in the Philippines is 14.69 billion nuts per year and farmers use more than 5billion of them for firewood during copra drying (PCA, 2015). The remaining husks become farm
waste and large volumes are left in the field together or without the shell. The Department ofAgriculture (DA) of the Philippines estimated 9 billion husks are left or burnt in the field (DA,2014). This massive amount of husks might represent an important natural resource (Greer, 2008).
Fibres are extracted from the husk of the coconut and are made into geotextile and a variety of
manufactured articles such as ropes, bags, mats, rugs, carpets and many other products (Kavitha,2016). Meanwhile, the coconut peat –the non-fibrous part of the husk– is also utilized asⒸ ISERD

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IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2018) 9-1

component of organic plant media fertilizer (Nazari et al., 2011). In spite of all the current
applications of husk mentioned, the estimated husk utilization in the Philippines amounts to 334
tons/day (about 120,000 tons/year) which is a negligible fraction of the total husk production (PCA,2015).
Niro et al., (2016) showed the technical feasibility to produce fibreboards made of milledcoconut husk and bounded with natural adhesives, specifically tannin-based adhesive formulations.
To ensure the sustainability of the board production, the husk availability and current utilization
should be fully assessed. However, there was limited information on how much volume is actuallyproduced, utilized and therefore potentially available in certain provinces in the Philippines.
This study was conducted to assess husk availability, density and utilization in the majorcoconut producing provinces in the Philippines. The data were collected with the main aim toprovide baseline information for the identification of most suitable locations for the setting up of
new coconut husk processing plants, e.g. coconut husk fibreboard manufacturing.
OBJECTIVE
1. To characterize the husks in selected provinces in the Philippines;
2. To assess the husk production and utilization in major coconut producing provinces in thePhilippines; and3. To conduct spatial analysis on husk production and utilization using Geographic Information
System (GIS).
METHODOLOGY
Site Selection and Secondary Data Collection
Official visits to the regional and provincial offices of Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) and
Office of the Municipal and Provincial Agriculturist was conducted to collect secondary data (i.e.,
coconut farm in hectare and production per province and municipality) on coconut production andfarming related activities in the locality. In addition, secondary data on coconut production was also
obtained from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
A total of four (4) provinces in Luzon, five (5) provinces in Visayas and four (4) provinces inMindanao were selected during the 2014 and 2015 survey period. These provinces were predetermined as the top coconut producers in the major island based on the official data from PCA.
Field Survey and Interview
Using the pretested survey questionnaire, primary data on farming profile which include husk
production and utilization from coconut smallholder farmers were collected. Prior to the interview
to the coconut farmers, official visits to the regional and provincial offices of PCA as well as fromthe local government units (i.e., provincial, municipal and barangay/village) were done. The visit
was conducted to coordinate the survey with local officials and PCA personnel who areknowledgeable in the area.
The survey was conducted in 2014 and 2015 constituting a total of 900 and 300 respondents(coconut farmers), respectively. During the 2014 survey period, two provinces in Luzon andMindanao while three provinces in the Visayas were surveyed. Whereas in 2015, two provinces ineach major island were surveyed. On the other hand, the respondents were randomly selected basedon their availability and willingness to provide information.
Husk Sampling
Aside from the coconut farmer and husk processor survey, 200 samples of husk were collected in
the provinces of Laguna, Sorsogon, Northern Samar, Bohol, Surigao del Norte and Agusan delⒸ ISERD32

IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2018) 9-1

Norte. The husks from the provinces of Laguna, Sorsogon, Northern Samar, Surigao del Norte andAgusan del Norte were collected from the newly (fresh) harvested whole coconuts. While in Bohol,
the husks were collected from already harvested stock nuts in the field. All nuts were individuallyweighed using a 25 grams mark off top loading balance right after harvesting except on the samples
from Bohol. Coconut harvesting and weighing last out an average of 4 hours.
After weighing the nuts, these were manually dehusked using a sharp and pointed tool. Rightafter dehusking, the husks were then individually weighed to obtain the fresh weight ratio of thehusk to the whole nut. After weighing, approximately 100 grams samples (fresh weight) from thewhole husk were placed and sealed in a plastic bag brought to laboratory for analysis. These husk
samples were oven dried at 70°C for 24 hours (PCARR, 1980) for moisture content determination.
The moisture content (%MC) was calculated using Equation 1:%MC = (Fresh husk weight-Husk oven dry weight) / (Fresh husk weight) x 100(1)

Gross and Net Husk Density Determination
The gross and net husk density (dry weight) was determined using the harvest yield data collectedduring the field survey. These was calculated based on the following formulae:
Husk density (gross) = (Total dry husk weight) / (Coconut farm area)(2)

Husk density (net) = Husk density (gross) x (1- (Percent annual husk utilization) / 100)

(3)

Data Encoding and Statistical Analysis
All figures gathered during the survey were collated, encoded and summarized using an electronic
spreadsheet editor (Microsoft Excel 2013). A numerical code was provided for each variable of therecorded data.
The data were analyzed using the Statistical Packages for Social Studies (SPSS Version 20).
The variabilities of the means on husk fresh and dry weight, moisture content (wet basis), and husk
production were analyzed using the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). In case significant
variations at p ≤ 0.05 were identified, Duncan multiple range test (DMRT) and least squares
differences (LSD) were carried out to compare means of independent variables between different
provinces for each major island and between islands. Data with no significant relationship (e.g.
husk utilization) were qualitatively analyzed by SPSS.
Mapping of the Spatial Gross and Net Husk Production
The Global Positioning System geographical coordinates of each interviewed farmer was used inmapping the spatial distribution of husk production and utilization. Secondary geo-data of polygon
vector at municipal and/or barangay level was obtained from PhilGIS. Using the vector polygon,
basic maps on the spatial husk availability were generated using ArcGIS (version 10.2) program
through the Spatial Analyst and Network Analyst tools. The mean value on gross and net
availability of husks density (ton ha-1 yr-1) were spatially presented using the PhilGIS vector
polygon at the barangay/village level. In addition, the ArcGIS feature to point data management
tool was used to generate representative point locations on the husks density data in a barangay
level. Using the kriging spatial analyst tool, interpolation of the husk data was performed following
the ordinary linear semivariogram model in a 100 meters raster cell size.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Coconut Husk Biomass ProductionⒸ ISERD

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Husk weight (g)The weights of the fresh husk were significantly different (p ≤ 0.05) within the provinces andacross the major islands (Fig. 1). The heaviest husks were in the province of Northern Samar(1,183 ± 29 grams) while Bohol fresh husk weight was the lowest. The weight of fresh husks from
Laguna and Bohol does not differ significantly. The observed differences in the weight of freshhusks between some provinces could be the effect of variety and maturity of nuts during harvest.
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0abcdeeCD
LagunaSorsogonLuzonACC

Bohol

NorthernSamar

VisayasB

Surigao del Agusan delNorte
Norte
Mindanao

Fresh husk
Dry husk
Provinces per Major Island
Fig. 1 Fresh and dry husk weight (grams) from the selected provinces the Philippines
Average and standard deviation bars are reported. Values with different superscript letter
across province are significant at p ≤ 0.05; n=200

The dry weight of husks showed as well significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) and followed
similar trend with the fresh husk weights (Fig. 1). Significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) were observed
between the provinces of Northern Samar, Agusan del Norte and Laguna. No significant
differences were instead detected between the dry husk weight from the provinces of Sorsogon,Bohol and Surigao del Norte.
Coconut Husk Utilization
The husk utilization by farmers in the three major islands is presented in Fig. 2. The highest
percentage of husk use was firewood. Only a small portion of the husks were utilized for handicraft
and cococoir (fibres + peat) related productions.
In the three major islands, Visayas has the highest uses of husks for firewood. This is likelyrelated to different copra processing methods in the islands. It was in fact recorded during theinterview that in Visayas the copra are dried by the farmers in the field prior to selling to the localbuyers. In Luzon and Mindanao island instead, most of the farmers delivers the fresh copra or thewhole nut to the buyers. Cococoir processing is mostly concentrated in Luzon and Mindanao.

Fig. 2 Percentage of husk utilization by farmers in the provinces from three major islandsⒸ ISERD34

IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2018) 9-1

Husk Availability in the Different Provinces
Among the top coconut producing provinces in the Philippines, Quezon in Luzon has the largest
area of coconut farm of 338,723 ha (Table 1). This was followed by Davao Oriental in Mindanao
and Leyte in Visayas with a total coconut area of 143,584 and 126,873 ha, respectively.
Table 1 Gross and net husk density (ton ha-1 yr-1) and production from the selected provinces
the Philippines
MajorIslandLuzon

VisayasMindanao

Province

Total area
cultivated withcoconut (ha)*Husk density(tons ha-1 yr-1)
GrossNetHusk production(tons yr-1)
GrossNet

Laguna62,2001.03

0.52

63,75532,033

Quezon338,723

0.93

0.48

315,012160,893

Camarines Sur

119,045

1.29

0.66

153,568

77,974

Sorsogon

97,1531.18

0.60

114,641

57,806

Northern Samar

85,6611.17

0.55

99,795

47,114

Western Samar

49,0000.99

0.47

48,51022,785Biliran

20,2450.84

0.40

17,006

7,997

Leyte

126,873

1.06

0.50

133,851

62,802

Negros Oriental

45,5250.80

0.38

36,42017,072

Surigao del Norte

60,7290.63

0.32

38,25919,433Agusan del Norte

33,4860.710.35

23,775

11,720Misamis Oriental

103,244

0.54

0.27

55,23627,360

Davao Oriental

143,584

1.43

0.70

204,607

100,509*Source: Philippine Coconut Authority (2015)

ABHusk density (tons ha-1 yr-1)

Fig. 3 Gross (A) and net (B) coconut husk production in selected provinces in the Philippines
On the other hand, the highest husk density (Fig. 3) is located in Davao Oriental with a value
ranges from 0.70 – 1.43 tons ha-1 yr-1. This was followed by Camarines Sur and Sorsogon withdensities ranges from 0.66 – 1.29 and 0.60 – 1.18 tons ha-1 yr-1, respectively. However, the highest
gross and net production of husk is still found in Quezon province. Then again, Davao Oriental
ranked second followed by Camarines Sur. The highest husk production is primarily attributed tothe total land area planted to coconut. Looking into the husk density between provinces within
major islands, Camarines Sur in Luzon, Northern Samar in Visayas, and Davao Oriental in
Mindanao were the provinces with the highest husk densities compared to the other provinces.
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CONCLUSION
The statistical analysis results showed that the fresh and dry weight of husks are significantlydifferent (p ≤ 0.05) between the provinces across the islands. The heaviest husks were located in
the province of Northern Samar.
The gross and net husk density (ton ha-1 yr-1) was highest in the province of Davao Oriental in
Mindanao compared to the other provinces surveyed. The highest total husk production wasrecorded in the province of Quezon.
The gross and net husk density are the major parameters in selecting the site for fibreboards
made of milled coconut husk processing plant. Based, on the result of GIS spatial analysis Davao
Oriental province with the highest density of husk is the most suitable site of a husk processingplant.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We extend our gratitude to the Swiss Programme for Research on Global Issues for Development(SNSF-SDC r4d programme) for their financial support of the study.
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