The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) expects an income uptick for coconut farmers in Zamboanga del Norte with the help of a PHP694,000-worth vinegar processing facility in the village of Sta. Cruz, La Libertad.

The facility is expected to be completed by end-December 2023 and will benefit agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) who are members of the Santa Cruz Small Coconut Farmers’ Multi-Purpose Cooperative, DAR said in a press release on Thursday.

DAR Zamboanga del Norte Provincial Agrarian Reform Program officer Rizzel Villanueva said farmers in La Libertad are mostly coconut farmers and they usually throw away the coconut water when they are preparing the coconut to be sun-dried to produce copra.

However, with the vinegar processing facility, the coconut water will now be processed into vinegar.

Villanueva said the income of the ARBs is expected to increase while the vinegar that they produce would have high quality.

The press release said the cooperative is a recipient of the Village Level Farm-focused Enterprise Development (VLFED) project that aims to enhance the products of ARBs using appropriate facilities and equipment applicable to the agri-business enterprise of the cooperative.

It said personnel from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will provide the farmer-members seminars and training on vinegar-making and other coconut by-products, product development, and business marketing to develop their farm enterprises and make their business operations profitable.

DAR has signed a memorandum of agreement with the DOST, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to help boost the cooperative’s vinegar-processing facility.

Under the agreement, DAR will not only oversee the construction of the facility but will also provide for product testing analysis and other laboratory tests of agri-products.

In turn, DOST will provide machines such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) burners with tanks, air compressors, 60-liter kettles, and other plant accessories.

The DTI will provide the promotion and marketing of the coconut vinegar.

“This project is a big help to the farmers and to nearby farm communities who depend on coconuts and manufacturing products from the trees as a source of income and livelihood,” Villanueva said. (PNA)