If I were a coconut planter

Media

Part of The Coconut Journal

Title: If I were a coconut planter
Creator: Marquez, Francisco D.
Language: English
Year: 1941
Subject: Coconut industry—Philippines
Rights
Abstract: "If I were a coconut planter—and I am as such as one because I have taken the cause of the coconut planter at heart, —- I would not be depressed over present conditions. Of course, having set a standard of living for myself and for my family, and having enjoyed a few luxuries during the days of plenty, it will be difficult for me to adjust myself to a new set of conditions. I have children to send to school. I have a duty to them and to myself. I shall therefore make an effort to improve not only my own economic position but also that of the community in which I live. For this reason, I would lay down for myself a rigid personal program."
Fulltext: OCTOBER, 1941 "The income derived from coconut products is in sufficient to meet the demands of a growing family ... another possible source of income is goat raising. For milk alone, starting with two does and a buck at the rate of Y2 liter-. per day from roo to 200 days, family needs could be supplied." If I Were A Coconut Planter By FRANCISCO D. MARQUEZ Administrative Officer, Department of Agriculture and Commerce COCONUT, variously described as "God's best gift to the Filipinos", "the brown man's bur den"(1), and the "lazy man's crop", once had its heyday. There was a time when it was nursed and patted, like the legendary golden . calf. Why . not? It was turning raw nuts into gold m the fashiOn of King Midas. Much of that boom is now but a faint memory of by-gone years. People in La�una and Tayabas . and of other coconut regions are still fond of recallmg the days of the early twenties when fortunes were being made by men who did nothing but to literally watch their coconut palms grow and bear fruit. A little bit shop-worn but still vivid are the stories of how a man about-town of San Pablo, Laguna, used to go around with rolls of coconut money and how he awed people by lighting his cigar with crisp t�ent:y-peso bi�ls, or who, on occasions, used to drop his diamond rmg on the floor merely to attract notice. Coconut then was the Philippines No. 1 commodity and these co conut planters were then having plenty of fun with their fortunes. But as already stated, much of that is now nothing ' but of the past. Like most things in this world, coconut has its up and downs. The coconut industry, as early as ten years ago, began its disheartening toboggan. It has been t? bogganing since then, leaving in its path a cotene of disheartened planters who did not have the fore sight to realize that coconut depends entirely upon a very fickle foreign market. The history, and the heartaches of that �o�og gan, may be gleaned from the following statistical data: In 1920, or thereabouts, coconut sold at from P90 or even P100 per thousand nuts. Today, it is selling only at PH per thousand nuts. One or two years back, it was selling at only P2.50 per thousand-and planters preferred to watch their nuts fall to the ground rather than bear the expenses of gathering. The case of copra is just as dismal. What used to sell (Buen Corriente) at P32 per 100 kilos way back in 1918 and 1919, sell today for only P7 pe� 100 kilos. All these are stark realities and form part of the lessons which the years have taught our coconut pianters. If I were a coconut planter-and I am as such as one because I have taken the cause of the coconut planter at heart, - I would not be de pressed over present conditions. Of course, havinu se . t a standard of living for myself and for my fa � m1ly, and having enjoyed a few luxuries during the days of plenty, it will be difficult for me to adjust myself to a new set of conditions. I have children to send to school. I have a duty to them and to my self. I shall therefore make an effort to improve not only my own economic position but also that of the community in which I live. For this reason, I would lay down for myself a rigid personal program. Having lived the best years of my life on a coconut plantation as a coconut planter, and not having the courage to hew down my coconut trees for reasons both sentimental and practical I shall stick to my own farm and improve my pl�ntation. I shall draw from my past experiences and never more commit the same errors I committed in the past. I am now richer in experience, if not in mo ney, and I know I shall be able to conquer those odds which beset every planter who, in the past, had the mistake of not thinking twice. ( ) ) Jim Marshall in "Colliel''s" PAGE 7 "Trees attacked by coconut bud-rot should be immediately removed. . . bud-rot-infested trees will not continue to produce fruits." There is a patent need for getting the most pro fit out of one's coconut plantation. Coconuts, like most agricultural plants of the Philippines, could be made to yield the maximum number of nuts through scientific cultivation. The Government, as every coconut planter knows, has extended aids along this line. The result of years of experimentation and study of our Government experts are available to day, unlike twenty years ago, to every coconut plant er who wishes to draw from his plantation the max imum yield. If I were a coconut planter therefore, I shall not be indifferent - as many coconut plant ers still are - to the efforts of our Government in this direction. I shall not hesitate to consult the officials of the Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture and Commerce on my problems, particularly in checking the damages of insect pests and diseases which are constantly. at work in my coconut trees. Coconut beetles common ly called "Uang" and leaf-miner cause much dam� age to trees. Trees attacked by coconut-budrot should immediately be removed not only in compli ance with Government order but also because they are very dangerous to the rest of my coconut trees. Besides, a bud-rot infected tree will not continue to produce fruits. Every coconut tree that is affected by bud-rot i s a focus of infection of 10-15 sur rounding trees in one year. Therefore, I shall wil lingly follow the order of the government to have it cut down and burned. Then also, I shall resort to a more scientific method of taking care of my plantation not only in keeping away all unneces sary weeds that rob my plants of food elements but also in planting cover-crops which not only enrich the farm but also prevent the washing away of the soil and its fertility in the form of erosion. If my PAGE 8 THE COCONUT JOURNAL plantation is flat and low and susceptible to water logging, which is often manifested b� the stunted growth of my coconut trees and yellowmg of leaves, I shall try to provide proper drainage by digging canals all around for the purpose. In other words, I shall look into the proper development of my co conut plants so as to make them yield for me the maximum and at the same time expect them to be productive for a lo�ger period of time, B�t I shall not confine my efforts to coconut production alone. Every coconut planter has his own bitter pill to take, and one of them, to our recollection, hap pened way back in 1928 and 1929. Just as we were dreamily brooding on the boom years and just as we were elatedly expecting the promised "better day around the corner," a new plant pest, the leaf miner descended upon us and wrought havoc in our plantations. The Government immediately came . to our re.scue to eradicate the . pests. spending· over •"half' a,' million pesos - and spared no efforts to save our coconut to which we coconut planters must all be grateful to this day. This disaster, if we can call it a disaster, proved to be a . blessing in disguise to us for it made us wake up to the realization of the fallacy of one crop system and the wisdom of "putting our eggs in more than one basket.'' Since then, coconut planters in certain regions of Tayabas and Lagun:i have started planting secondary crops. to supple menf their pest-infested coconut far.ms. The lesson was bitter but the result is sweet. I shall no longer be a· prey to usurers and Chinese middlemen. Profits in every merchandise sold through a middleman, go to that middleman and not to the producer. I shall avail myself of the serv ices of the National Produce Exchange which is under the management of the Director of Commerce which, I understand, has all the facilities for handling goods direct from farmers. Or, I shall engage in a direct sale of my nuts for the desiccator or for food or for copra making. I shall also avail myself of the facilities of the National Coconut Corporation, a recently organ ized government agency intended to take care of the welfare and interest principally of the coconut planters. I shall take advantage of the service� being rendered along improved copra prod).lction by using improved copra driers and the . utilization of other coconut by-products and therefore properly util ize coconut husks and coconut shells which are being thrown away as wastes in many coconut plantations of the Philippines. I shall run my farm in the modern, model . way and see to it that coconut by-products are not wasted. I shall join cooperative associa tions of coconut growers that have been organized or help organize .one in my community for the pur pose of en.hancing or improving our economic wel fare. Through an association· of this nature, we can poll together our resources and energies in se curing credit aids from the Agricultural and In dustrial Bank or other banking institutions instead of becoming easy prey to unscrupulous money lend: ers. Through the same institution we could estab(Please turn to page 10) IF I WERE A COCONUT ... (Continued from page 8) !ish cooperative stores wherefrom we could buy our daily needs and other necessities at a much lower price. These may include different foodstuffs, clothes and even the implements needed on our farm work. In view of the increasing necessities of a grow ing family I shall try to look for other sources of livelihood and for the education of my children not now possible from purely coconut income. I shall therefore resort to diversification of crops and ani mal products. For this purpose, the assistance of the Bureau of Plant Industry and Animal Industry will be needed. I have learned that there are now found many kinds of money crops both temporary as well as permanent that could be raised. I have seen during my trips to neighboring provinces that a number of coconut farmers among others, now successfully grow bananas, lanzones and mangos teens planted between coconut trees. All of these are now giving appreciable incomes to those who have them. As for temporary crops, I also see that camote, ginger and arrow-roots are grown success fully and even rice, corn and many kinds of vege tables. All available vacant spaces and open fields will henceforth be devoted to those crops if I ever expect to survive the pressing econemic necessities being brought about by the changing economic con ditions. I am now convinced that the income de rived from coconut products is insufficient to meet the demands of a growing family even with the re turn of normal prices of copra and raw coconut products. But I shall not be satisfied with that. I have also learned that animal products could be readily raised. The Director of Animal Industry now telh us that by starting with 2 sows or female pigs with one boar I can reasonably expect 20 small pigs af ter two breeding years. The food for these will only consist of coconuts supplemented with camote, corn and domestic refuse. I can readily imagine how much additional income I can derive from 20 litters sold at a minimum of P5 each of the improved breeds. They will only need around 60 to 100 square meters of ground of my farm. Another possible source of income is goat raising. For milk alone, starting with two does and a buck at the rate of 1/2 liter per day from 100 to 200 days, family needs could be supplied. Meat is likewise available. Then the raising of chicken comes in. Starting with 12 hens and 2 roosters one could readily hav� in a com paratively short time 1,000 chickens consisting of 600 layers and 400 for replacements. For egg proPAGE 10 THE COCONUT JOURNAL duction alone this number could readily produce over 300 eggs daily. The chicken meat will be avail able from culled ones. Feed is not also expensive as it can consist merely of corn-darak, etc.-which can partly be raised in my own farm. I shall do all these because I have a primary duty towards my family-to my wife and to my children who should all go to school-and to the community in which I live. I shall not be a drag to the economic progress of my country. On -the contrary, I shall exert all efforts to aid in the difficult task of build ing our nation's economy. Reverses in the market will not daunt me. Nei ther has it daunted other coconut planters. This is borne out by the following facts: There has been a steady increase of hectarage planted to coconut. In 1934, only 608,200 hectares were planted to coco nut. In 1938, this has increased to 643,110. There has also been an increase in the total number of trees planted, as well as in the total number of trees bearing fruits. In 1934, only 74,372,100 trees were bearing fruits; in 1938, the figure was upped to 91,178,800. The total value of production has increased from P27,146,650 in 1934 to P92,126,490 in 1938, or a gross income per hectare from P69.62 to P191.13. Francisco D. Marquez author of this article The coconut is an important world commodity, and I should not be blamed if I had staked my own life and lot in its production. It must be under stood that Philippine copra production represents approximately 34 per cent of the world's consumption of this commodity. It also represents 27% of the Philippine yearly export. In a recent report on the vital defense needs of America Secretary Frank Knox of the U. S. Navy said: "Coconut shell char coal is used in the manufacture of gas masks. We have no production of this necessary material, im porting most of our supplies from the Philippines." Would you blame me, therefore, if my spirit re fuses to yield to any other temptation? I still be lieve I can work out satisfactorily my economic salvation.