The Philippine Coconut Authority is set to establish a coconut seed farm in every province in Central Visayas to boost coconut production intended for export, an official said on Wednesday.

Rhea Ocay, focal person for the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP), said in a statement that the government wants to ensure a sufficient supply of high-quality coconut planting materials for coconut farmers in the region.

Currently, there are 78 hectares of land planted with 10,159 coconuts across four coconut seed farms located in the southern town of Barili, Cebu managed by Cebu Technological University – Barili Campus, as well as in the towns of Ubay and Luay in Bohol province and La Libertad in Negros Oriental, Ocay said.

There is also a seed garden in Borbon, north of Cebu province.

“The PCA envisions the future of the coconut industry not just in terms of our current coconut planting efforts, but also to regain our position as the number one producer of high-quality coconuts,” she said.

Each seed farm receives an annual funding of PHP3 million under the CFIDP-Coconut Hybridization Program.

She said the seed farm aims to increase the cultivation of high-quality coconut varieties and help regain a world record where the Philippines ranked number one in the production of high-quality coconut.

Accordingly, the Philippines ranked second to Indonesia in 2022 for producing 14.93 metric tons of coconut. Indonesia, on the other hand, produced 17.19 metric tons.

Ocay encourages LGUs and academic institutions with at least 5 hectares of land to take advantage of this program, which will last for 25 years. (PNA)