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Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte is supporting the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA)’s plan to tap (LGUs) in its Coconut Planting and Replanting Project. 

"The all-out support of LGUs in coconut-producing localities behind the PCA’s development and rehabilitation plan is crucial to re-energizing this previously flourishing sector and lifting from poverty our coconut farmers," Villafuerte, a former House deputy speaker, said in a statement Sunday, Oct. 29. 

The veteran solon said that the project aims to re-energize the local coconut sector that has been overtaken by Indonesia and India in terms of production. 

Villafuerte said the plan is also in step with President Marcos' commitment to not to leave any Filipino behind in his vision for a peaceful and prosperous nation. 

Villafuerte noted that an overwhelming majority of the 2.5 million local coconut farmers--representing a sizable part of our farm population--were already living below the poverty threshold, and many more will join them there in the years ahead without any hope of deliverance. 

That is, unless the Marcos government makes good on its PCA program to reverse in the long term the economic slump hounding this once formidable export sector, he said. 

The Bicolano pointed out that a massive replanting program using hybrid varieties and giving farmers easier access to already available production technologies will easily double per-tree yields, thereby significantly  boosting domestic production and increasing the income of our coconut farmers.  

“Thus, only the full support of the Palace, NGAs (national government agencies), LGUs in coconut-producing provinces and the private sector behind this five-year PCA program—and beyond—can and will lift our coconut farmers from poverty and revitalize this industry to achieve anew its full export potentials through this ambitious replanting program and other intervention programs,” he said. 

As of 2019, about 90 percent of coconut farmers lived below the annual poverty threshold of P125,775. What worse is that most of these tillers listed in the National Coconut Farmers Registry are food insecure and have no social protection. 

Filipino coconut farmers are getting poorer, because the per-tree productivity has been on a downtrend from 46 nuts per tree per year in 2009 to 44 in 2019—as against 80 to 100 nuts in India and Indonesia. 

Villafuerte said coconut productivity is even worse in Camarines Sur, where, because of the big number of old or senile trees there, the current annual yield average is 34 nuts per tree.   

“For the Philippines to regain its status as the world’s biggest producer and exporter of coconut products, the PCA will have to accelerate its program to replant 100 million trees on the Marcos watch, with the support of all concerned NG agencies, LGUs and other industry sectors,” he said.

He said the country can harness the full potential of this sector by way of a dramatic increase in domestic production, citing reports that the global market for coconut products was valued at $20.24 billion in 2022, and projected to grow yearly by 8 percent or more between 2023 and 2030.