DA chief pushes faster release of coco levy funds

MANILA, Philippines — Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. is urging lawmakers to fast-track legislation to expedite the release of coconut levy funds, warning that further delays would only hurt farmers.

“With global coconut prices expected to stay high in the coming years, further delays risk squandering a strategic advantage,” Tiu Laurel said in a statement.

He warned that the long-delayed unlocking of the fund could cause farmers to miss out on opportunities just as global demand reaches its peak.

Republic Act 11524 or the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act, signed into law in 2021 by then-president Rodrigo Duterte, aims to consolidate benefits for coconut farmers, especially the poor and marginalized.

The law also seeks to speed up the delivery of such benefits to help farmers earn higher incomes.

President Marcos, however, asked Congress during his State of the Nation Address last year to amend the law to better address the needs of coconut farmers.

In the 20th Congress, a measure has been proposed to amend the coconut levy fund law in a bid to strengthen its implementation and align its use with industry expansion and farmers’ needs.

House Bill 2260, filed by Albay 3rd District Rep. Raymond Adrian Salceda, seeks to “institutionalize and implement a nationwide coconut planting and replanting program.”

This includes the creation and expansion of seed farms and nurseries, the production and distribution of high-yielding and hybrid coconut seedlings and the provision of technical and logistical support for coconut rehabilitation.