LIVELIHOOD IN BULAN,SORSOGON: COPRA

Coconut tree

The Coconut Tree (Cocos Nucifera L.) is called "The Tree of Life" because of the endless list

of products and by-products derived from its various parts. Food, shelter, fuel - name it, the

coconut has it.

The coconut fruit produces buko, often used for salads, halo-halo( crushed ice with

sweetened fruit), sweets and pastries.

Coconut oil is extracted from copra (dried coconut meat/kernel)

The coconut husks are made of bristle fiber. The abundance of fiber makes it good, stable

supply for cottage industries that make brushes, doormats, carpets, bags, ropes, yarn fishing

nets, and mattresses, etc.

Out of the bud of the coconut tree's is a juice called coconut toddy or tuba. The

fermented juice is the common alcoholic drink in the coconut region. It is also used to

produce vinegar.

Tuba after being left for five days then distilled, produces an alcoholic spirit known locally as

lambanog which is more or less 98% proof.

The most important use of coconut shell is activated carbon produced from its charcoal.

It is utilized in air purification systems such as cooker hoods, air conditioning, industrial gas

purification systems, and industrial and gas masks.

Coconut

Botanically, a coconut is a simple dry fruit known as a fibrous drupe (not a true nut). The husk (mesocarp) is composed of fibers called coir and there is an inner "stone" (the endocarp). This hard endocarp (the outside of the coconut as sold in the shops of non-tropical countries) has three germination pores that are clearly visible on the outside surface once the husk is removed. It is through one of these that the radicle emerges when the embryo germinates.

Adhering to the inside wall of the endocarp is the testa, with a thick albuminous endosperm (the coconut "meat"), the white and fleshy edible part of the seed. The endosperm surrounds a hollow interior space, filled with air and often a liquid referred to as coconut water, not to be confused with coconut milk. Coconut milk is made by grating the endocarp and mixing it with (warm) water. This produces a thick, white liquid called coconut milk that is used in much Asian cooking. Coconut water from the unripe coconut, on the other hand, is drunk fresh as a refreshing drink.

Copra Production in Bulan,Sorsogon

Copra production is an important enterprise. Without copra production, there would be no palm oil on the supermarket shelves.In Bulan Sorsogon, copra production may be a family business. The whole operation may take place on a couple acres of land adjacent to the family dwelling.

Harvesting the Coconut

One of the methods to harvest the coconuts is to make a long pole from bamboo pieces put together. At one end a sharp knife is attached to the bamboo pole so that the harvester is able to detach the coconut from the tree.

Coconut palms grow to a towering height. Some fall down by themselves, but most have to be cut down. This is done by a long bamboo pole with a sickle-shaped knife tied to the end. This device is called a “kawit” in the Bulaneños language. Sometimes extra poles have to be tied to the end of the “kawit” so that it can reach the coconuts.

Some farmers prefer to climb the coconut palm and cut off the ripe coconuts with a machete.

These simplified lists of the stages in making copra:

GATHER COCONUTS (500 coconuts makes 1 bag of copra)

The first step is the harvesting of the matured nuts. This is the most arduous and dangerous

step since its requires climbing each tree or palm (old coconut can be more than 30 meters

tall) in order to pick the mature nuts.

Many Bulaneños farmers do not have trucks. To convey the coconuts to the site of copra production, they use a carabao. They tie two large baskets to the carabao in such a way that one basket hangs down on each side. Even if the farmer has a truck, they still needs the carabao to carry the coconuts away from the trees to a convenient place. It is difficult, if not impossible, to drive a truck to each tree on a typical barrios coconut plantation.

When the coconuts arrive at the site of family copra production, the work begins. Typically, a family hires neighbors to help them.

HUSK THE COCONUT

Thehusk (mesocarp) is removed by pushing the coconut on a sharp steel bar.

A coconut has an outer fibrous husk which is called bunot in Bulan. These husks are removed with the help of a device called a buntanan. This is a Y-shaped frame with a pole sticking up and a mitten-shaped knife at the end of the pole. It is also possible to use a machete or an axe, but these are not as effective as a buntanan.

Inside the husk, a coconut has a hard shell which is called a “buok” or “Lobi” in Bulan. The coconut shell is cut in half by striking it with the machete.Inside the coconut shell is the edible part of the coconut. This is removed with a device called a lugit. A lugit has the following components: a handle attached to an S-shaped bar with a sharp circular disk at the end. A worker takes hold of the handle and gouges out the coconut meat with the sharp disk.

Copra can be made by smoke drying, sun dried or kiln drying. Sun drying requires little more than racks and sufficient sunlight.

ARRANGE THE COCONUT ON THE DRYING RACK

The coconut meat is converted into copra in a structure called a landahan. A landahan has an open pit for fire below and a horizontal bamboo frame above. The coconut meat is placed on the bamboo frame, where it is heated by the fire.

In the safest type of landahan, the fire is not directly below the bamboo frame, but off to one side. In this case, a cement conduit or tunnel channels the heat of the fire, so that it travels horizontally through the passage and then upward to the bamboo frame, upon which the coconut pieces are resting. The bamboo frame is enclosed by a low cement wall to concentrate the heat on the coconut pieces. Sometimes wood is used instead of cement for the wall.

The preferred fuel is the dried husk of the coconut. The fire must be tended. Dried coconut husks are added as needed. The coconut pieces have to cook all day and part of the night before they are converted into copra.

LIGHT A FIRE UNDER THE COCONUTS EVERY DAY UNTIL FLESH HAS DRIED.

TAKE THE DRIED FLESH (ie the copra ) OUT OF THE SHELL

The next day, when the landahan is sufficiently cool, the well cooked pieces are separated from the half-cooked pieces. The half-cooked pieces are placed on the bottom next to the bamboo slats and the cooked pieces on top. The landahan fire is kindled once more and the coconut pieces are allowed to cook for about a day. When the cooked pieces become cool, the process is finished.

There are variant methods of processing copra. The coconuts may be cooked before removing the shell. Sometimes fire is dispensed with altogether and the coconut pieces are simply allowed to dry in the sun.

The dried copra is brought from the remote areas by tricycle and jeepney to copra dealers in the bigger towns and cities.

POUND THE COPRA INTO SMALLER PIECES INSIDE THE BAG FOR SELLING COPRA.