Coconut takes center stage this weekend
The CoconutPhilippines Trade Fair enters its final weekend, showcasing Filipino coconut products and 300 MSMEs before the event wraps up Sunday
Published Aug 28, 2026 06:53 am
Clara Reyes-Lapus, president of the Mama Sita Foundation; Ted Po, vice chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Century Pacific Food Inc.; DTI Secretary Cristina Roque; Marco Reyes, chairman of the United Coconut Association of the Philippines (UCAP) and president of the Virgin Coconut Oil Manufacturers and Traders Association of the Philippines (VCOTAP); and Eric Teng, president emeritus of the Restaurant Owners of the Philippines (Resto PH) (Photo: DTI)
The humble coconut has long been part of the Filipino table, but there is much more to the fruit than gata, buko juice, and the other familiar staples.
That broader potential is what the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is putting in the spotlight through the DTI–Bagong Pilipinas CoconutPhilippines Trade Fair, which ends this weekend.
The trade fair, which opened Aug. 26, brings together 300 micro, small, and medium enterprises working to develop products and find new markets for Philippine coconut products. For visitors, it offers a chance to discover what local businesses are creating from an ingredient that has long been part of everyday Filipino life.
There is good reason for the industry to be looking beyond the familiar. Philippine coconut exports rose 34.4 percent in 2025, reaching $3.6 billion, with the sector accounting for nearly half of the country’s total agro-based exports. It also supports 2.8 million Filipino farmers.
For DTI Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque, the opportunity lies not simply in harvesting coconuts, but in developing products that can create greater value for the people and communities behind them.
“The value of our coconut industry lies not only in what we harvest, but in what we create from it. We must maximize its potential by producing competitive, high-value products that generate lasting income for our farmers and local communities,” she said during the fair’s opening day.
The DTI is working to connect these enterprises with international buyers through export promotion, business-matching activities, outbound trade missions, and the Philippine Trade and Investment Centers’ global network.
There is also a wider push to open international markets for Philippine agricultural products. Cristina cited sustained overseas demand for bananas, pineapples, calamansi, and ube, while Philippine coconut exporters can also benefit from the country’s expanding network of free trade agreements, including the recently concluded Philippines-Chile FTA negotiations and ongoing discussions with the European Union and Canada.
For Filipino consumers, however, the most immediate reason to visit is simpler: there is only this weekend left to explore the fair. The CoconutPhilippines Trade Fair runs through Aug. 30, bringing together the participating enterprises and their products for those curious to see how a familiar Filipino crop is finding new expressions and new markets.
As Cristina put it: “The world already knows the exceptional quality of Philippine coconut products. Now, we must create more Filipino success stories that will bring better lives to our farmers and uplift communities nationwide.”
The fair runs through Sunday, Aug. 30, at the SMX Convention Center Manila in Pasay City.