‘Coconut sugar is good for health’

Sugar made from coconut has been found to be beneficial to human health, especially for diabetics.

A natural sweetener, coconut sugar has a glycemic index of 35 and is classified as a low glycemic index food. Consumption of coconut sap sugar is good for people who want to reduce and maintain weight as it helps in proper control and management of diabetes mellitus.

It may also lower serum cholesterol and thus lower risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease, said Ms Yvonee T V Agustine, executive director, United Coconut Associations of the Philippines, in her technical presentation at the recently concluded Cocotech meeting.

She said that her country produces coconut sugar on a large scale, besides other coconut based products and by-products for export globally.

Coconut sugar export from the Philippines, the third largest coconut producing country, has grown from 11,200 kg in 2009 to 70,000 kg in 2011 with the list of importing countries spreading from Japan and the US in 2009 to West Asia, Asia, and Europe last year.

Virgin coconut oil is another product exported from the Philippines, she said.

The top 10 non-traditional export items from the Philippines in 2011 based on foreign exchange generation were glycerine, virgin coconut oil, toilet/bath soap, coconut water, coconut milk powder and so on.

The product basket netted $112.794 million in exports during 2011, a sharp leap from $65.447 million earned from these products in the previous year.

The increase in export earnings of Philippines was driven by massive rise in export of virgin coconut oil, coconut water, coconut milk powder, liquid coconut milk, and fresh coconuts, she added.

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