For months, I have been writing in my blog that I was drinking buko joyce errrm juice or water. The products come from Mexico and other tropical countries near the USA.
My regular purchase of the canned coconut juice ( not like the buko juice in carton endorsed by the President) did not increase its demand. Every now and then, the stores sell them at a big discount to move products from the shelves.
There are so many organic juices available in the US groceries that only those people who come from the tropics (like me) or have been in the tropics would buy the buko juice for health or thirst quenching purposes.
I for one prefer the undiluted coconut water that when I came home for a vacation, I had a regular supply of at least three a day.
The canned coconut water is very sweet ( sugary) that you can hardly taste the coconut water. It is also diluted with water that it just like water with sugar. The coconut meat is also unlike the soft buko meat which we make into salad on special occasions.
It is understandable to dilute the coconut water since, its packaging alone which is tin can is more expensive than the content.
Now comes the idea of exporting coconut water from the Philippines. IT will create jobs. YES. It will contribute to export receipts. YES. Profitable ba? Hmmm, let me think.
Between Philippines and Mexico, the US may prefer to import from Mexico because of its proximity to the country which reduces the trasportation cost. Stores in the US do not want to purchase a lot to store them in a warehouse because it also incurs cost. They use inventory management which includes the EOQ-economic order quantity- a computation to compare the cost to order and the cost to store.
Secondly is the supply of the raw materials which is coconut. The primary product of coconut is copra from which oil is extracted. Use the coconut for coconut water product and you are reducing the raw materials supply for copra.
I remember my grandpa who managed the copra-making in our coconut farm. We both watched men who were experts in dehusking the coconut.
Coconut is a tree of life. All of the tree components have their uses or can be made into products:
1. Coconut MeatCopra is the dried coconut meat from which oil is extracted. Virgin oil is a good materials for cosmetic purposes.
Coconut meat when grated yields coconut milk which is used for laing, kinunot, dinuguang Bicol, ginataang langka, ginataang halo-halo and other ginataans.
2. Coconut leaves
Coconut leaves are woven for roofing and wall materials for bahay kubo. These can be made into reed mats and wrapper for native cakes like suman sa ibos. . Midribs can be made into brooms and means of transport ( walis tinting ng mga buruka), placemats and bags.
3. Coconut Infloresence
Coconut tree's infloresnce is what you call TUBA. It is also used for producing vinegar and yeast. We had someone who harvested the tuba every early morning. The taste is sweet.
4. Coconut Husks
They are not only made as BUNOTS (used to buff wooden floors), they're also ised for mattress fiber (yong tipo bang pag tajo mo, kailangan mo ng SALONPAS sa tigas. Coir is used in ropes, brushes, caulking boats and stuffing.
5. Coconut Shells
They can be used as buttons, musical instruments, house decors and other stuffs.
7. Coconut Trunks
They are good for building bridges, for construction materials, benches and tables.
If the coconut tree could talk...Siguro sabi, hinubaran na ninyo ako, wala na kayong itinira.
Pinaysaamerika
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