Export Oriented Fiasco
By ANTONIO M. REYES

I learned the intricacies of the coconut industry at the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) where I served as Chief of Staff of its (then) chairman, Attorney Oscar Santos, who would later become congressman of Quezon Province.

It was 1987, just after the EDSA I rebellion, when we were still the number one producer of coconuts in the world and had a coco-chemical industry to convert the prolific coconut into soap, shampoo, sugar, fuel, filters and a hundred other finished products.

However instead of thinking long term we became complacent and remained dependent on the foreign market which we had no control over. While Indonesia which was then the second biggest coconut producer on earth and had the third largest population in the world focused on its local market.

Since Indonesians domestically consumed 85 percent of its coconut production and only exported 15 percent its coconut industry flourished.

While ours which reserved 85 percent of its production for the international market declined. It was our "export oriented" colonialized policy that eventually spelt doomsday for our once mighty coconut industry.
The turning point was the Indonesian's sense of nationalism which extending to the food they ate and the cosmetics they used.

Almost all their favorite food contained coconut oil or coconut milk and its government restricted the importation of any competing vegetable oil.

Indonesians were also encouraged to use coconut oil products while we believed television advertisements exhorting competing products like palm, corn and soy bean oil which we were hoodwinked into believing were better for our health. Even our Philippine Medical Association endorsed corn oil and soy bean oil which they said was better for one's health than coconut oil.

I believe it's this colonialized mentality that's keeping us from moving forward and the reason why our agriculture and fishing industries are going nowhere.        

Other editorials

Noynoy doing well

Focus on the real problem

Unholy alliance

Deliverance

Older editorials . . .

Other News

Mega bridge to Bohol

Press media slams congress

City wins P500,000 for anti-smoking campaign

RH bill Ok seen

Please help us Nonoy!

Solon wants no mining here

Eastern Visayas loves Cebu eggs

P253 daily wage rate is ridiculous

Gomez running for mayor of Ormoc