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DAVAO CITY - The government sees higher incomes for 3.5 million coconut farmers when the coconut methyl ester (CME) is fully utilized as petroleum diesel fuel enhancer. Continue below.

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In a dialogue with Davao media, Engr. Roberto Ables, biodiesel program officer of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), said the country has a coconut growing zone covering more than 3.1 million hectares of agricultural and planted to 324 million bearing and non-bearing coconut trees. He said 68 out of 79 provinces are coconut areas.

Based on a four-year inventory of production capacity (in 1,000 MT) of raw materials from 1997 to 2001, Mindanao is leading with 1,438.33 followed by Luzon with 605.41 and Visayas 439.54.

Under the country's coconut industry, copra production is recorded at 2.4733 million metric tons, CNO production at 1.484 million metric tons and CNO local demand at 460,200 metric tons.

The projected annual demand for coco-biodiesel are as follows: One percent, 0.070 billion liters or 70,000 metric tons (MT); two percent, 0.140 billion liters or 140,000 MT; three percent, 0.210 billion liters or 210,000 MT; four percent, 0.280 billion liters or 280,000 MT, and; five percent, 0.35 billion liters or 350,000 MT.

Ables said there is cost-benefited in using CME.

He said it could deliver an average increase of more than 17 percent in kilometers for every liter of diesel consumed and could be translated into savings from P0.916 to P2.85 for every liter of diesel fuel.

In the PCA project on CME-PDF quality enhancer road project, Ables said several mechanical aspects were undertaken.

He revealed that project teams conducted baseline date analysis on the test vehicle used. It also conducted city and country road-run tests and free acceleration smoke emission tests.

He said they also conducted top over hauled inspection on the test vehicles after 5,000 and 20,000 kilometers on road test.

He bared that the mechanism was made in order to establish the viability of CME as a PDF quality enhancer for the reduction of air pollution in line with Republic Act 8749 and for better engine performance as well as increased utilization of coconut oil in the domestic market.

April 10, 2005

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