TALIPAO, Sulu – In its continuous effort to uplift the lives of coconut farmers in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the Agricultural Training Institute – Regional Training Center XII (ATI-RTC XII), through the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP), conducted the Training on the Production of Coconut Products and By-Products (Batch 1) on May 5–7, 2025, at Tampakan Agriculture Cooperative, Brgy. Tampakan, Talipao.

A total of 30 coconut farmers participated in the training—17 from the Tampakan Agriculture Cooperative (TAC) and 13 from the Alyatin Cooperative. They were warmly welcomed by Mr. Abudujana Salapuddin, Chairman of TAC, who expressed his support for knowledge-sharing initiatives in the community.

Engr. Mokles P. Buisan, CFIDP BARMM Alternate Focal Person, acknowledged the participants and shared the training’s objectives and benefits. He encouraged everyone to not only learn but also build lasting friendships and strengthen their commitment to community-based coconut development.

Serving as the resource person was Mr. Amlon J. Absari, who presented a comprehensive discussion on processing coconut food products and by-products such as Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO). He also highlighted essential practices like Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) to ensure quality and safety in coconut production.

Participants were fully engaged in hands-on activities under Mr. Absari’s guidance, making the training not only informative but also interactive and skill-oriented.

Closing the three-day event, Mrs. Nur-aina B. Ingkagan, Division Chief of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), delivered an inspirational message emphasizing that the training was only the beginning of their journey in value-adding and coconut enterprise development. Meanwhile, Mr. Salapuddin extended his congratulations and appreciation to all who made the training a success.