DA backs coconut law amendments
The Department of Agriculture (DA) seeks to revitalize the local coconut industry by amending the law governing the P80-billion coconut trust fund.
“We must revise the law to focus the trust fund’s resources on the most critical needs—particularly replanting,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement on Monday.
President Marcos called on the Congress last week to revise certain provisions of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act to better address the needs of coconut farmers.
This year, the government earmarked P1 billion for planting or replanting, and another P1.8 billion for fertilization.
However, the DA said the coconut trust fund should allot more funds for high-impact programs that will boost farmers’ productivity and incomes.
“The proposed amendment will allow greater flexibility to ensure a more responsive and adaptive approach to the evolving needs of coconut farmers and the industry,” it said.
The DA said replanting coconut trees would be necessary to revitalize the coconut industry. Many of the country’s coconut trees are more than 50 years old, thereby producing less than half of the potential yield of younger trees, which range from 80 to 100 nuts a year.
“Many of our coconut trees are senile. If we don’t replace them immediately, we risk losing the industry’s future,” said Tiu Laurel.
The DA said the amendments should also allow the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) to provide drip irrigation, water impounding and fertilization, as well as ensure farmers’ welfare.
The PCA unveiled its target to plant 15.3 million coconut trees this year, as part of the government’s broader goal of planting 100 million coconut trees by the end of the Marcos administration.
In 2024, the PCA planted 8.6 million coconut seedlings, surpassing its 8.5 million target for the year and quadrupling the previous two-year average.
Sona directive
“To fully revitalize the coconut industry, we will ask Congress to amend the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act to make it more responsible to the needs of our farmers,” Mr. Marcos said in his fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona).
Signed in 2021, the law created the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP), which will be covered by the coco levy fund.
Recently, the revised CFIDP for 2024 to 2028 was released, which seeks to streamline the implementation of CFIDP, address key gaps and enhance coordination among 15 implementing government agencies.
“It covers a broad spectrum of services including free training, insurance, access to credit, scholarships, hybrid seed distribution and a newly consolidated health and medical assistance program,” the PCA said earlier.
