PCA Will Save The Coco Industry, Granting Many Public & Private Groups Will Help!

Look, PRRD signed Republic Act (RA) 11524 on 26 February 2021. This is the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act with an initial P75Billion coconut levy. The report says the Department of Agriculture (DA) and attached agencies under Secretary of Agriculture William Dar, have started implementing the law – are other agencies and the coco leaders and their farmers now working with their hearts and hands to help make it a national success?

According to ANN (Author Not Named, 03 Jan 2022, “’OneDA Family 2021 Yearender: Coco Farmers, Industry Law: Game-Changer, Catalyzer,” Da.gov.ph), Mr Dar says:

The crafting and implementation of (RA 11524) is a game-changer that would catalyze the modernization and industrialization of the coconut sector, and increase the productivity and incomes of millions of marginal coconut farmers and their families.

ANN further says the national efforts will be dictated by the Coconut Farmers & Industry Development Plan (CFIDP) in the next 5 years. Under the CFIDP, the following programs will be pursued, led by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), an agency of the DA:

(1)   Hybridization;

(2)   Farm improvement thru intercropping systems;

(3)   Animal integration;

(4)   Establishment of shared facilities for rural processing ventures;

(5)   Provision of social protection;

(6)   Empowerment of coconut farmers’ organizations/cooperatives on entrepreneurship;

(7)   Provision of credit and market support services;

(8)   Infrastructure development; and

(9)   Conduct (of) innovative research and policy studies.

I particularly note what PCA Administrator Benjamin Madrigal Jr says about those 9 in the list:

These programs (are being) implemented by respective agencies, each pursuing a plan, strategies, criteria in selecting beneficiaries, and allocation as approved by the CFIDP-Trust Fund Management Committee… to ensure proper fund utilization.

Among more interesting developments:

The PCA, in coordination with the other members of the National Biofuel Board – continuously exerts efforts to implement the mandated increase in the use of coco methyl ester biofuel blend from 2% to 5%.

Domestic & international marketing efforts of coconut products have been intensified. 55 potential investors have been secured for 7 emerging technologies with an initial investment of P4.3M. Agribusiness matching sessions have been held with 78 exporters, processors and suppliers. 15 seed farms have been set up all over the country. Marketing and promotion have been deepened to enhance domestic and international demands for coconut products.

As a warrior writer and a self-recruit to Regenerative Agriculture (RegenA), as an agriculturist (UP '65) and, starting 2021, a self-recruit combative communicator for Collaborative Village Development 2021 (CoViD21) as well as for RegenA, I note gladly that the Coco Roadmap calls for those 9 things, which I discern contain elements for village development as well as RegenA.

Right now, I am particularly interested in “(9) Conduct of innovative research and policy studies.” Hereby:

I am encouraging the state colleges & universities (SCUs) to also conduct studies on RegenA, because I strongly believe that this is the right thing to do to combat climate change. From the P75Billion total RA budget, SCUs’ R&D efforts could contribute new knowledge including, hopefully, on regenerative agriculture.@517