President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo directed the Department of Science of Technology (DOST) to conduct further research to maximize the productivity of the lowly and oftentimes overlooked coconut as a means to improve the lives of millions of Filipinos.
According to the President; “by improving productivity in coconut areas, more money can be put in poor people’s pockets so they can afford the higher world price of food.”
For one thing, the largescale coconut production would make virgin coconut “as familiar in kitchen cabinets as olive oil,” she added.
The DOST, through its Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI), in cooperation with the Ateneo de Manila University, is conducting various researches on the coconut involving production, development and uses of coconut by-products and plant infestation.
“The DOST is speeding up the development of physio-chemical and biological studies for virgin coconut oil to ensure its high quality in international and local markets,” the President added further. (PIA/Bohol)
