TRIVIA

 

TOURIST ARRIVALS IN THE PHILIPPINES

NUMBER OF TOURIST ARRIVALS IN 2009 IN PH:             2.7M.

 

WE ARE BEHIND HONGKONG, MALAYSIA,

THAILAND AND SINGAPORE

 

SOURCE: MANILA STANDARD TODAY, 17 DEC 2007.

PROFITS OF OIL COMPANIES

 

NET INCOME OF PETRON CORP FROM JAN

TO SEPT 2010:                                                                      P5.35B.

THIS IS 59% ABOVE THE P3.37B NET

INCOME FROM JAN TO SEPT 2009.

 

NET PROFIT OF PETRON CORP IN 3RD

QUARTER OF 2010:                                                              P1.81B.

THIS IS 16% ABOVE THE P1.56B NET PROFIT

IN 3RD QUARTER OF 2009.

 

SOURCE: MANILA STANDARD TODAY, 17 DEC 2007.

 

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE COCONUT INDUSTRY IN PH

 

COCONUT IS OUR BIGGEST CROP, NOT RICE.

 

BASED ON 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE

THERE WERE 1.4M COCONUT FARMS IN THE

COUNTRY. THIS IS 29% OF ALL FARMS.

WHILE THERE ARE ONLY 1.35M RICE FARMS

WHICH IS 28% OF TOTAL FARMS. 

 

TOTAL LAND AREA PLANTED TO COCONUT WAS

3.3M HAS. OR 34%. WHILE RICE ONLY ACCOUNTED

FOR 2.5M HAS. OR 25%.

 

THERE ARE 3.4M COCONUT FARM WORKERS AND

FARMERS IN 70 OUT OF 81 FARMERS.

 

COCONUT IS OUR TOP FARM EXPORT

BRINGING IN UP TO US$900M PER YEAR.

 

80% OF COCONUT’S OUTPUT ARE EXPORTED

TO 114 COUNTRIES ACCORDING TO PCA.

 

BUT INCOME FOR FARMERS WAS QUITE LOW.

AVERAGE INCOME SOME YEARS BACK

PER HECTARE WAS ONLY P10,660 PER

HECTARE BUT AVERAGE FOR ALL CROPS

WAS P31,580.

 

COCONUT FARMERS ARE AMONG THE POOREST.

90% OF COCONUT FARMERS AND WORKERS ARE

BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. WHILE INCIDENCE

OF POVERTY AMONG RICE FARMERS WAS ONLY

AROUND 35%.

 

91% OF COCONUT OUTPUT IS COPRA FOR

COCONUT OIL. BUT THERE ARE MUCH MORE

POTENTIAL PRODUCTS: ACTIVATED CARBON,

VARIOUS COCO-BASED CHEMICALS, COCO DIESEL,

VIRGIN COCO OIL, COCONUT SUGAR, GEOTEXTILES,

NUTRICEUTICALS, COIR FIBRE, COCO LUMBER

AND COCO HANDICRAFTS.

 

BUT BULK OF GOVT MONEY IS INTO RICE:

AROUND 70%.  BUT RICE CONTRIBUTES

ONLY 16% OF THE VALUE OF TOTAL AGRICULTURAL

OUTPUT.

 

SOURCE: NO FREE LUNCH, CIELITO F. HABITO, PDI, 14 DECEMBER 2010.

 

 

 

 

 

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