President Marcos Jr. yesterday ordered the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) to strengthen the implementation of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan which calls for among others the modernization of the industry.
The President, in addressing the 50th anniversary celebration of the PCA, also acknowledged the challenges faced by the coconut industry such as climate change, pests, and diseases that not just threaten the coconut trees but endanger the future of the whole agriculture sector .
“So, let us double our efforts to tackle these issues and invest in technologies and initiatives that will not only safeguard but also ensure the resilience of the coconut sector of our agriculture,” he said.
Marcos also told the PCA to look into the plight and welfare of the coconut farmers and come up with measures that will empower them to improve their conditions and free them from poverty.
Marcos said his administration started to formulate the plans on how to redevelop our coconut industry and how to help our coconut farmers which included the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan.
“The PCA must intensify the implementation of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan to accelerate the modernization of the coconut industry and to improve the lives of our coconut farmers and their families,” he said.
He said the Philippines is a major exporter of coconut oil and other products such as copra meal and desiccated coconut.
“We are thus in a prime position to harness this advantage to develop this crucial sector for the benefit of our economy and our people… There is no reason why the Philippines should not be the biggest producer of export in terms of coconut products,” he said.
Marcos said with the advancement of technologies, it is also important to continue developing and improving the coconut-made or based products as well as to find new uses and expand its distribution to new markets.
Coconut production in the country increased by 1.6 percent from 3.20 million metric tons (MMT) in the first quarter of 2022 to 3.26 MMT in the first quarter of 2023.
Coconut exports declined by more than half from $1.04 billion in January to April 2022 to $490.16 million in the same period in 2023.
