8/31/2004 (PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER) DUMAGUETE CITY - Coconut farmers andcopra traders in Negros Oriental have vowed to work together to preventthe loss of the country's biggest foreign copra market-the European Union(EU).

Brendan Trasmonte, Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) provincial chair,said the two stakeholders passed a joint resolution early this month afterthe EU demanded higher-quality copra.

According to the resolution, copra traders or buyers who do not havedryers will no longer buy fresh coconut meat. The traders also promised toreject copra of poor quality.

The resolution also sought the creation of the Provincial Copra QualityImprovement Program Management Committee that will monitor the quality ofcopra produced locally and formulate policies and plans on theimplementation of the PCA's copra quality improvement program, amongothers.

It also pushed for an intensive information drive on the EU directive thatwas adopted by most of its members last year, which demanded a higherquality of copra.

Trasmonte said the directive stipulated that the acceptable content ofaflatoxin in copra should not be more than 20 parts per billion.

Aflatoxin is a toxic compound produced by a mold or fungus in agriculturalcrops that have not been carefully stored. It can cause hepatitis andliver cancer.

In a recent study conducted by the PCA, the level of aflatoxincontamination in copra produced in the country went as high as 103 partsper billion in Central Mindanao.

In Central Visayas, where Negros Oriental belongs, the aflatoxincontamination was 100 parts per billion.

Trasmonte said the coconut industry, one of the country's major dollarearners, will be in serious trouble if the quality of copra from thePhilippines does not conform to standards set by the EU.

"This is a serious problem and could put the coconut industry in thecountry in jeopardy. That is why stakeholders of the industry should worktogether to upgrade the quality of copra," Trasmonte said.

More than 50,000 people in Negros Oriental are directly dependent on thecoconut industry. There are 50,460 hectares of land in the provinceplanted with coconut trees.

Trasmonte said improper techniques and procedures in the processing ofcopra, from harvesting to drying, as well as the improper handling ofcoconut meat were the main culprits in the poor quality of the product.