DA eyes upscaling of coconut industry amid declining yield

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 27) — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is looking to upscale the coconut industry to boost the production of the sector, which covers over a third of the country's agricultural exports amid declining yield.

Figures from the DA show the Philippines is the second largest coconut producer in the world behind Indonesia, but it is the top exporter as it ships 70% of its output overseas. According to the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), the industry's export value in 2022 was $3.2 billion.

«The Philippines needs to embark on increasing productivity through the cultivation of quality planting materials like [coconut] hybrids and varieties with superior traits,» Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said Monday.

Despite stable export growth, the DA said the coconut industry and farmers continued to suffer from declining farm yield since 2010 stemming from «infestation and major typhoons; low investments; limited research and development; and poor infrastructure.»

The DA said around 3.5 million farmers cultivate 3.6 million hectares of coconut plantations across the nation. Of the country's 82 provinces, 68 produce the commodity.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in October ordered the PCA to craft a solid plan to boost the industry's productivity amid the government's target to plant 100 million coconut trees by 2028.