The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday vowed to continuously support the country’s coconut industry to regain its top global standing.
The DA made the statement as the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) started the celebration of the 38th National Coconut Week, themed Paghubog sa Pilipinong Magniniyog: Daan sa pag-angat ng ekonomiya at maunlad na Bagong Pilipinas.
“Medyo nawawala tayo sa buong mundo, pero babalik tayo (We have been quite declining in the global stage, but we will return) as the top coconut industry in the past… The coconut is more than just a symbol of our rich agriculture heritage, it is a powerhouse of Philippine agriculture,” DA Undersecretary for Operations Roger Navarro said in a speech.
To realize this, Navarro underscored the need to boost government and private sector partnerships to maximize “all opportunities” within the industry.
“Today, we highlighted the collaboration and partnership among the public and private sectors of the coconut industry. We are committed to working together to strengthen every facet of the coconut value chain,” he added.
Navarro said that for coconut crude oil alone, the Philippines is earning at least USD1 billion.
“At present, we export more than 50 percent of our products and earn more a billion dollars,” he said.
Earlier, the PCA expressed plans to plant 100 million coconut trees nationwide through its Massive Coconut Planting and Replanting Project until 2028, or before the term of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ends.
The PCA has already planted 2 million coconut trees in 2023, with around 8.4 million target planting for the year.
To date, the country remains the second-largest coconut exporter worldwide next to Indonesia.
Meanwhile, the celebration of Coconut Week runs until Aug. 30.
Included in the key activities are ceremonial national coconut planting, the launching of a health and medical program for farmers and their families, a virtual coconut research and development webinar, a coco-linary (coconut culinary) show, a symposium on the benefits of coconut products, and creative contests, among others. (PNA)