Apl.de.ap launches new project for coco farmers
The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) has expanded its collaboration with the foundation of renowned Filipino-American singer Allan Pineda, professionally known as apl.de.ap, to provide more income opportunities for coconut farmers.
The 50-year-old rapper-record producer was back in the country recently and signed an agreement with the PCA to put up a trading mechanism that would allow coconut farmers to earn carbon credits, which can be exchanged in carbon markets.
Last year, the California-based celebrity launched an advocacy campaign for education with the song “We Can Be Anything” to encourage children around the world to stay in school.
He also teamed up with the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation to build 10,000 classrooms in two years or less through the advocacy.
The Black Eyed Peas, the award-winning band that Pineda cofounded in the 1990s, held a concert at the SM Mall of Asia for the campaign.
The PCA said the signing of an amended memorandum of agreement in Batangas province with the Apl.de.Ap Foundation International (Aplfi) aims to empower coconut farmers by transforming sustainable farming practices into tangible environmental contributions.
According to the PCA, the Aplfi will assist farmer-beneficiaries in this trading mechanism so they could earn carbon credits for activities such as tree planting and organic practices.
The PCA first signed an accord with the Aplfi and the Philippine Coffee Board Inc. (PCB) in February to promote coconut-coffee intercropping, or the practice of planting at least two crops on the same field at the same time, for export markets.
“The partnership is expected to create ripple effects across the sector, enhancing global competitiveness while securing better livelihoods for Filipino farmers,” the PCA said earlier.
Under the agreement, the PCA will provide infrastructure and farmer support while the foundation will lead communication efforts and farmer training initiatives.
Meanwhile, the PCB will drive research and development, particularly in coffee product packaging and market positioning, to ensure high-quality coffee products.
The Aplfi has committed to purchasing raw materials at fair trade prices, promoting sustainability and equitable profit sharing, as well as establishing a fair-trade market so that farmers will receive dividends from end-product sales.
The Department of Agriculture’s High Value Crops Development Program will provide agricultural inputs under the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan to help boost this undertaking.
