Canadian firm invests $25m in coco-diesel

By Roderick T. dela Cruz

Green Corp. of Canada (www.green-corp.ca) said its $25-million investment in coco-diesel production in the Philippines will benefit more than 5,000 families and 100 coconut farmers’ organizations and cooperatives.

Under the memorandum of agreement signed by Green Corp. chief executive Rely Diego and Philippine Agricultural Development and Commercial Corp. president Marriz Agon, the investment will be coursed through a third party that handles socio-economic projects.

Philippine Coconut Authority administrator Oscar Garin said the investment, which is primarily concerned with the production of coconut methyl ester, would boost production in many coconut-growing regions.

Garin said the Philippines continued to be the world’s top coconut exporter and it could well be the principal producer of CME or bio-diesel in the years to come.

The agreement calls for the deployment of 100 units of village-level bio-diesel processing facilities in coconut-producing areas in the Philippines, with 20 units to be delivered this year.

Among the target areas of investment are coconut-rich provinces such as Quezon, Laguna, Batangas and several areas in the Bicol region.

Green Corp. said it would deploy the GS1000, the company’s most advanced bio-diesel automated batch processor.

The GS1000 has patented technologies, offering many unique design and safety features and is completely a Canadian product.

The project targets to produce 1,000 liters per day of coconut methyl ester per unit in 10 hours and will initially benefit 5,000 families and 100 farmers’ organizations and cooperatives in the Philippines over a two-year period beginning this year.

Green Corp. said it would also launch similar projects in other parts of Asia such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Green Corp. has its technical office in Sault St. Marie, Ontario, and its corporate and sales office in Richmond, British Columbia.

The corporation is a joint venture formed by SITTM Technologies Inc. (www.sittm.ca) and TriBiotech Resources Ltd.