The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) on Tuesday said the country will maintain a three to five percent increase in coconut productivity despite the possible effects of the looming La Niña.
In an ambush interview on the sidelines of the 151st founding anniversary celebration of PCA in Quezon City, Administrator Dexter Respicio Buted expressed confidence in the resilience of coconut trees for the projected yield.
“Tumataas lang tayo sa three to five percent, so, iyon yung pwede naming ipangako (We are just increasing around three to five percent. So that’s what we can promise) based on the data on the market,” he said.
“Kita naman natin kung gaano ka-resilient iyong niyog. Kahit bagyuhin iyan, bubunga pa rin iyan (We can see how resilient the coconut is. It will bear fruit despite typhoons). But we’re confident that with all regions na ang niyog ay nakatayo ay confident tayo na ang yield natin ay mapapataas pa (where our coconuts remain standing, we are confident in increasing our yield),” Buted added.
He also assured that PCA’s Massive Coconut Planting and Replanting Project is ongoing nationwide, in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s commitment to the objective of planting 100 million coconut trees by 2028.
“May natanim na tayo, last year ay (We already have planted, last year was around) 2 million (coconut seedlings). For this year, we are targeting 8.4 million,” he said, adding that majority will be planted in the Visayas and Mindanao due to soil and climate suitability.
However, he underscored the need for an increased budget for the PCA’s fertilization program to increase coconut production.
Buted said they are asking for a PHP2.4-billion budget for fertilization, which could increase nut productivity by 15 percent.
“Iyong first year natin, magkakaroon ng 15 percent yield (increase). (For our first year, we will have a 15 percent increase in yield). And then the following year, it’s 20, and 25 percent increase yield,” he said.
He said the massive planting and replanting effort, along with increased productivity will help the Philippines regain its place as the prime coconut exporter in the next five to 10 years.
“Kung ganun iyong magiging mindset natin (If that will be our mindset), we will really bring back… that the Philippines will be the number one producer in the coconut industry,” Buted said.
To date, the Philippines is the second largest coconut exporter worldwide, next to Indonesia and ahead of India.
The country’s production slightly contracted in 2023 due to the effects of El Niño phenomenon, at 14.89 million metric tons, lower than 2022’s 14.93 MMT. (PNA)
