Piñol seeks to restore old glory of coconut industry

MANILA, Philippines - The incoming head of the Department of Agriculture wants to bring back the glory days of the coconut industry, which comprises one of the four major segments of Philippine agriculture.

The coconut sector is a vital agricultural asset for the country and farmers, providing a significant source of income.  The Philippines is the world’s second largest coconut producer next to Indonesia. 

Coconut farms cover some 3.258 million hectares of land which account for more than a fourth  of total farmlands. 

Newly-appointed agriculture secretary Emmanuel Pinol said the potential of the coconut sector has yet  to be fully maximized.  

“We will re-plant 600,000 hectares of coconuts over the next six years.  This is doable as we have already have  one of the seed maps,” he said,

Pinol said coconut exports generate $760 million in net earnings annually. About 80 percent  of total coconut production is exported in the form of copra, coconut oil and dessicated coconut.

Coconut products are valuable as raw materials for a wide array of industrial commodities, such as margarine, soap, lauric acid or glycerine-based industrial chemicals.

Each year, the 338 million coconut trees produce 15.344 billion nuts.

Coconut farmers,  among the poorest in the country’s agriculture labor market,  earn an average P25,000 yearly.

However, an aging tree population and the number of major natural disasters have wreaked havoc the industry. Typhoon Yolanda singlehandedly destroyed an estimated 44 million trees, throwing the livelihoods of around two million farmers into jeopardy.

The Food and Agriculture Organization  said  a significant number of trees are over 60 years old, and well past their fruit bearing years.

Aside from saving the coconut industry, the new administration will focus on abaca production, pointing out the Philippines is only one of two countries producing abaca.

Abaca exports contributes $80 million annually, and the Philippines contributes 85 percent of world’s demand.

Ecuador is the other country that produces abaca for exports.

Pinol has been assured the fiber industry can absorb far more volumes of abaca fiber because of the growing global demand for this highly-valued natural fiber.