Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Philippine Center for Postharvest
Development and Mechanization
CLSU Compound, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija

NEWS STORIES

Marcos: Step up programs for coco farmers
by Manila Times (August 3, 2022)
PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has ordered the Department of Agriculture (DA) to fast-track programs for coconut farmers during a meeting with officials of the agency in Malacañang on Monday, August 1.

During the Laging Handa briefing, DA Undersecretary Kristine Evangelista said Marcos wanted the department to accelerate the programs for the 3.5 million coconut farmers in the country.

"We are directed to fast-track the implementation of all the programs that will benefit the coconut farmers whether this will be in partnership with different agencies, including the Department of Trade and Industry," she said.

Among the programs identified for the coconut farmers is the scholarship grant for their dependents.

"We have programs as far as value-adding [is concerned]. We are also looking at shared facilities for our coconut farmers," she said.

Evangelista added that provision of credit and financing to the coconut farmers was also tackled during the meeting with the President.

"We are looking into how to make credit and loans more accessible to our coconut farmers," she said.
The DA recently launched the coconut farmers and industry development plan (CFIDP) that will utilize the P11.25-billion coconut levy trust fund to boost farmers' productivity and income.

The CFIDP has various components and programs that include health, crop insurance, scholarships, farm schools, organization of cooperatives and associations, hybridization operations, inter-cropping activities, dairy integration, and shared processing facilities.

The President also met with the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) to discuss how the government can help in modernizing farming techniques and help local food producers in terms of credit, comprehensive insurance, and investments.

The group previously expressed concern that there will be an increase in prices of farm commodities because of the higher cost of procuring raw materials.

"The President is thankful as private organizations actively show their support to the government," a statement posted by the Office of the President on its official social media pages read, hailing the initiative of Sinag to help lay down strategies that will boost farm yields that will result in more affordable food prices.