More than three million farmers have been benefiting from the country's coconut expansion project which earns $2 billion every year, an official of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) disclosed on Tuesday, March 14. In a “Laging Handa” briefing, PCA Deputy Administrator Roel Rosales highlighted the coconut expansion project and its impact on the farmers and on the country's economy. "Ang coconut industry po ay isa sa mga pinakamahalagang agricultural industry ng ating bansa. Number one agricultural dollar export and earner, halos sa isang taon ay kumikita tayo 2 billion USD para sa ating national economy (The coconut industry is one of the most important agricultural industries in the country. It's the no. 1 agricultural dollar export and earner earning almost $2 billion every year for our national economy)," Rosales noted. "Napakahalaga ho nito sa national economy dahil 3.6 million hectares po ay planted with coconut and there are about 3 million coconut farmers who rely on coconut as their source of livelihood (This is very important to our national economy because 3.6 million hectares are planted with coconut and there are about three million coconut farmers who rely on coconut as their source of livelihood)," he went on. The Philippines is one of the world's leading producers of coconuts, playing a crucial role in providing employment and income for millions of people. According to the recent data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the country produced a total of 14.7 million metric tons of coconuts in 2020, making it the second-largest coconut producing country in the world. With this, the PCA wants to expand the coconut industry in the country even more. "Gusto po nating mapalawak lalo ang industriya ng niyog sa Pilipinas dahil ito nga ay ating source of income. Ang ating pamahalaan, kami po ay nagsasagawa ng mga programang pang produksyon para sa coconut industry (We want to expand the coconut industry in the Philippines because this is our source of income. Our government is pursuing programs on coconut production)," Rosales said. "Tuloy-tuloy po ang ating pagtatanim ng mga niyog all over the country. Actually po ang coconut is grown in about 79 provinces throughout the country (We will continue to plant coconuts all over the country. Actually, the coconut is grown in about 79 provinces throughout the county)," he added. The PCA continues to brave the challenges that the coconut industry in the Philippines has been facing such as aging coconut trees, productivity concerns, pests, and diseases, among others; not to mention climate change and natural disasters, such as typhoons and droughts. "Tuloy-tuloy po ang pagtatanim natin (We will continue planting)," Rosales assured. "In this case, ang tinatanim po natin ay mas mahuhusay na uri ng pananim, ang tawag po natin dito ay coconut hybrid. Ito po ay combination ng tall variety at nung dwarf variety. With the combination of the best qualities of both ay maganda po ang magiging pananim natin (In this case, we are planting coconut hybrid. This is the combination of tall variety and dwarf variety. With the combination of best qualities of both, we will surely produce good outcomes)," he continued. The PCA hopes to address the production needs and sustain the coconut industry, when it comes to both food and non-food industrial products. "Maganda po ang pagkakalinang ng mga program na ukol sa coconut—komprehensibo po, holistic. May production intervention po tulad ng pagtatanim, fertilization para quick turnaround, ‘pag nag-fertilize ka kahit ng asin lamang sa next year mamumunga nang dagdag (Our coconut programs are really promising—comprehensive, holistic. There's production intervention like planting, fertilization for quick turnaround, when you fertilize even with salt, there will be more fruits to expect in the next year)," he shared. Moreover, the PCA official added that coconut farmers can also do intercropping, farm diversification, planting in the interspaces between coconuts, and livestock, among others. --