Coconut export seen jumping 15% in 2026
Amid fluctuating prices, revenues from coconut exports are projected to reach up to $3 billion in 2026 because of the expected increase in production and steady demand.
This according to the United Coconut Association of the Philippines Inc. (UCAP), whose forecast represents a 15.4 percent increase from its 2025 estimate of $2.6 billion.
According to the industry group, this year’s export revenues are expected to become relatively stable, with price volatility offsetting a recovery in output.
“We might achieve the same sales revenue with more volume, but the price per [kilogram] is likely to be a little bit lower,” UCAP vice chair Dean Lao Jr. said on Wednesday. He took part in a press briefing during the World Coconut Congress.
Lao said that a market price correction is bound to happen once prices reach their peak. In
the case of coconut, prices have already hit new record highs at least three times this year.
“I think the price will go down a little bit, but the supply will make up for it. I think we can at least maintain (earnings from coconut exports),” UCAP chair Marco Reyes said in the same briefing.
Reyes said coconut production is anticipated to recover by the fourth quarter of this year and into next year. This, following the El Niño-caused drought that significantly affected local output.
Aside from the anticipated demand surge due to the continued market expansion, Lao said the exemption of coconut oil from the United States’ sweeping tariffs will further boost shipments to the Philippines’ primary market for this particular agricultural commodity.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that coconut exports totaled $2.66 billion in 2024, up 71.7 percent from $1.55 billion a year ago. Coconut oil accounted for more than two-thirds or $2.2 billion of the total.
