Philippine Coconut Authority Completes Crafting of Coconut Industry Roadmap...

Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) administrator Benjamin Madrigal Jr. announced that the PCA completed the crafting of the Coconut Farmers Industry Roadmap (COCOFIRM).  The roadmap was a result of various consultations with coconut farmers, industry groups, and other concerned stakeholders, he said.  
PCA submitted the first copies of the roadmap last week to Department of Agriculture Secretary William Dar during its 48th Anniversary Celebration, four months after the signing of Republic Act (RA) No. 11524 or the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act (CFITFA).  Under the Act, PCA is mandated to craft the roadmap as part of its duties stated in RA 11524.  The official launch of the roadmap will be held next month coinciding with the National Coconut Week celebration.
Apart from crafting the roadmap, PCA is also mandated to update the National Coconut Farmers Registry System (NCFRS).  Secretary Dar urged coconut farmers to register under the System to partake in the industrialization and modernization efforts of the government mandated in the Act. “This Act will pave the way to modernize and industrialize the Philippine coconut sector. Further, it will transform the lives of coconut farmers in the country by turning low productivity into higher gains, bringing prosperity to farmers,” Dar said.  Last month, administrator Madrigal said a total of 2.84 million farmers have been registered in the NCFRS.
Dar said the new law also requires “one farmer representative each from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Timelines are generally outlined so that before we move forward, we need to comply with these preliminaries.”  The agri chief said that with the positive performance of the PCA and the sector, it is apparent that the coconut industry is “climbing back up the ladder”.