As part of its ongoing commitment to enhancing the productivity and income of coconut farmers in the region, the DA- ATI– Regional Training Center 1 (ATI-RTC 1), in partnership with GOFASTAC, conducted a Training on Processing and Utilization of Coconut Charcoal Briquettes on March 11–13, 2025, at FJA Integrated School Inc., Brgy. Bantug, Umingan, Pangasinan.
A total of 27 participants—25 from the Pangasinan Farmers Agricultural Cooperative (PFAC) and 2 from the Royal Grains Agricultural Cooperative, successfully completed the three-day training. The program equipped them with essential knowledge and hands-on skills in producing coconut charcoal briquettes using a carbonizer, mixer, and briquetter. Additionally, GOFASTAC introduced mokusako production, highlighting it as another viable byproduct of coconut briquetting
To support the sustainability of the initiative, a complete set of processing machines was awarded to PFAC as part of an extension support program, formalized through a memorandum of understanding between DA-ATI-RTC 1 and PFAC.
This training is part of a series of three batches scheduled for this year, aimed at providing coconut farming communities with additional income opportunities.
