2014.6.18
Government bolstered its bid on improving nationwide production of coconut to ensure supply of this top dollar-earner despite last year's onslaught of super typhoon 'Yolanda' (international name 'Haiyan') in Central Philippines, a coconut-producing area.
Aside from pursuing its regular planting, replanting and salt fertilization activities in coconut-producing areas nationwide, Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) also decided undertaking special fertilization intervention in three Central Philippine regions which this agency cited as having sustained the most coconut production damage from 'Yolanda.'
"We're optimistic Philippine coconut production can bounce back," said Pablo Romero, PCA Field Operations Division Officer-in-Charge.
In its final 'Yolanda' damage report, PCA said the typhoon either slightly, moderately, severely or totally damaged some 44.12 million coconut trees in Central Philippines' Mimaropa region as well as regions IV-A, V, VI, VII, VIII and XIII.
Latest available preliminary PCA data also show nationwide volume of coconut production dipped to some 15.35 million MTs in 2013, the year 'Yolanda' struck, from 15.86 million MTs in 2012.
The agency is aiming for faster recovery, noting 'Yolanda' totally damaged some 16.2 million other coconut trees in those regions alone.
Government data show volumes of coconut-based products exported from the Philippines averaged 1.8 million MTs during the last 10 years from 2004 to 2013.
The data also show average value of those exports totalled nearly USD1.3 billion during the reference period.
PCA noted coconut products are consistently among the country's top 10 merchandise exports.
Fifty-two of the country's coconut-based exports accounted for some 59 percent of total global requirement last year, PCA continued.
Citing a report presented during an ASEAN technical working group meeting in April 2013, Romero also said the Philippines is among the world's leading coconut producers with around 24 percent of 2011 global production in copra terms.
"The report likewise showed the Philippines ranked second to Indonesia in terms of coconut hectarage in 2011 at 3.4 million has.," he noted.
PCA data indicate nearly 3.6 million has. or 27 percent of total agricultural land in 68 of 79 provinces nationwide were planted to coconut in 2013, marking an increase from the area covered in 2011.
The country had 338 million nut-bearing coconut trees last year when almost 15.5 billion nuts from the crop were produced nationwide, PCA also noted.
For 2014, PCA targets undertaking coconut planting and replanting activities in 195,000 has. of land around the country. The agency also targets planting and replanting 225,821 has. nationwide in each of 2015 and 2016.
A total of 2,432,224 coconut seedlings were already purchased for distribution in the areas, PCA also noted.
Source: interaksyon.com
Publication date: 6/18/2014