Eastern visayas: The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) aims to plant 128,000 coconut trees in Eastern Visayas this quarter. This initiative is part of a nationwide replanting program to rejuvenate coconut farms across the Philippines.
According to Philippines News Agency, PCA Eastern Visayas Regional Manager Marlon Terrado emphasized the necessity of replanting to replace senile trees that are no longer productive. Terrado highlighted the potential future shortage of coconuts due to the increasing global demand for coconut products if the old trees are not replaced.
The planting activity, held in Barangay Buri, saw participation from around 200 coconut farmers, national government agency representatives, local government officials, and other stakeholders. Participants included members from the Philippine National Police, Philippine Army, Philippine Navy, Philippine Air Force, Bureau of Fire Protection, Department of Agriculture, and local farmers' associations. Over 1,000 coconut trees were planted across other provinces in the region during the simultaneous activity. This effort aligns with the national goal of planting 100 million coconut seedlings by 2028 to build a more resilient, sustainable, and globally competitive coconut industry.
The current massive replanting program focuses on using hybrid coconut varieties and is scheduled from July to September. It coincides with the Participatory Coconut Planting Project, an incentive-based initiative encouraging coconut farmers to plant and replant trees. Alicia Quilloy, business manager of the Barangay Esperanza Organic Farmers Agriculture Cooperative, shared that replanting would help replace trees destroyed by Typhoon Tino in 2025. Her cooperative had previously harvested 6,000 nuts quarterly, but the number dropped to 3,000 this year. Quilloy expressed optimism about achieving a full recovery in two years through replanting efforts.
The five-year coconut planting and replanting project, spanning from 2023 to 2028, seeks to maximize the coconut industry's economic contribution while improving the welfare of Filipino coconut farmers. According to the PCA, in 2022, 3.60 million hectares of land were covered with coconut trees, representing 27 percent of the country's agricultural land. The agency plans to sustain and strengthen the program over the next 10 to 15 years to rehabilitate the declining coconut industry, which has been affected by climate change and natural disasters.
