Pangan: Going for alternative fuel

Sunday, October 9, 2011

THE National Government had all the good intentions to find possible biofuel source when it embarked on a project to develop jatropha on a big scale but the said project turned out as not that viable at all.

Funds were set aside for the grand project but now the PNOC Alternative Fuels Corporation, the agency tasked for the original project is abandoning jatropha and, instead, it is now considering tapping sorghum, kamoteng kahoy and other plants as possible biofuels feedstock and even algae may be considered in the search so as to lessen the country's too much dependence on imported fuel.

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This is one aspect the national authorities should seriously look into and focus on, as well as the reported output of the Malampaya oil-drilling project.

If there were only transparent reporting on this oil searching activity, the country will not be hard put to shoulder its oil expenditures and funds therefore can be used for other beneficial projects.

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Charcoal is one alternative for the increasingly-expensive fuel for cooking and other household uses, the liquefied petroleum gas or LPG.

The latter, aside from being hazardous at times, as when left unscrewed or unlocked overnight may cause fires and losses to lives and property, may be substituted with, and by, charcoal which, as many regular users attest, is thriftier, heats longer and is relatively not harmful but may even have medicinal values. Of course, electric stoves can tally up bigger electric bills and therefore may dent the household budget.

As I've mentioned in my previous column, a good friend, a former chef and now restaurant owner/operator, finds relief in his charcoal trading which plant site is situated in Barangay Sta. Maria, Magalang and is expected to increase production for both local and international markets e.g., Korea, Japan and even in the United States and Europe.

Raw materials for this enterprise are coconut husks, the quantity thereof being assured by growers in Aurora and Quezon, charcoal crushed into bits and that turned to powder which are then fed into the machines and made into usable fuel. No need to cut trees in the process so this makes it even environment-friendly and no DENR personnel may frown on the practice, no violations made by my friend's firm of environment laws. By the way, let me acknowledge the assistance of Arayat Cenro Myrna P. Dungo and EMB's Engr. Dennis Celestial and Laura Jean Abando.

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Corollary and complementary to this account is the ongoing clamor for coconut water by US consumers, as another alternative to a popular brand of a so-called sports drink patronized by athletes in the United States and elsewhere.

Suddenly, the lowly-regarded coco water has taken centerstage, thanks perhaps to the announcement and acknowledgment of PNoy of this substance's mentionable role in the US market which, by the way and per the President's disclosure, took interest in marketing and distributing bottled coco water in the mainland.

Interestingly now, business establishments are eyeing their participation in the sudden boom of coco water but I hope the enthusiasm would last and revenues can add up to our local resources and, in due time, to our international reserves (in dollars, of course). I also wish that the clamor will not be short-lived, as what happened to the hot pan de sal and other products which patronage waned as time went by.

In his article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer last Friday, October 7, contributor Willy E. Arcilla sounded the need for a distinct Philippine brand of coconut water, as competitors from other countries in Latin America, Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia may up the ante in the global competition.

Arcilla asks: Why not build our own brand of coconut water? We know by now that people don't buy products, they buy brands, so ultimately the real value of a business lies in its brand name or trademark and less so in the raw materials or ingredients which tend to be commoditized... A good example we can learn from is the state of our sugar industry, which has been supplying for decades to the world's most valuable beverage brands, yet today our farmers continue to languish at the mercy of world commodity prices.

Good points, these sound by Willy E. Arcilla because our government tends to be lax in policing shrewd competitors and speculators such that an otherwise profitable venture wilts under pressure from external as well as internal factors and forces. Such protectionism is not that bad for Philippine business or brand. It only aims to sustain the viability and marketability of our products, in this case, coconut water. We should therefore use our coconuts to protect our coconut products and their by-products and the husks which can be used as alternative fuel.

As we explore the full potential of our coconut water, the government should take steps to protect our coconut planters and not allow them to be exploited by rich and influential people who took advantage of the coconut levy, to the gross disadvantage of the marginalized growers.
By all means, let us all rally behind the saleability of the mineral-rich coco water.