The Cocohub project benefits over 500 farmers from Tuburan and neighbouring towns while generating employment opportunities for women.
The Coconut Hub or ‘Cocohub’ facility, the first-of-its-kind in Cebu town of Philippines, commenced operations in 2020. Today, the centre processes 15,000 seed nuts a day for the production of virgin coconut oil, coco sugar, coco baskets, ropes, mats, and anti-soil erosion nets, among others.
The Cocohub project benefits over 500 farmers from Tuburan and neighbouring towns while generating employment opportunities for women in the community who work full-time in the hub.
Super Typhoon “Yolanda” devastated the Philippines in 2013, coconut farmers from Cebu town struggled with lower productivity and income. They were left with damaged coconut farms, making it even harder to earn a living for their families.
This dire situation pushed the Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LMPC) to support its farmer-members by establishing a production centre for diverse products made from coconuts, which provides farmers with higher income from selling all parts of their produce to LMPC at a competitive price, instead of relying solely on producing copra.
The operations of the Cocohub are backed by financial support from the Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK)—a long-time development partner of the LMPC. Loans from the Bank are used as working capital for the purchase of furniture and fixtures, payment of raw materials to suppliers, and salary of the cooperative’s workers. The Cocohub is a joint project with the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), which provides the LMPC infrastructure support and essential equipment, including a decorticating machine.
