PCA board thumbs down lifting of ban on export of mature coconuts
THE Philippine Coconut Authority’s (PCA) Governing Board has decided to retain the ban on the export of mature coconuts as prices have improved, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Agriculture Secretary William Dar disclosed the decision in a speech at the launching of the 2019 PAJ-SMC Binhi Awards of the Philippine Agricultural Journalists (PAJ) with partners San Miguel Corp., SL Agritech Corp., the DA, and other groups.
In the same event, Dar lauded the PAJ for promoting excellence in agricultural journalism and including in the awards special prizes for high school and college students by way of attracting the youth to agriculture which is part of his eight paradigm on “Ani at Kita: The New Thinking in Agriculture.”
“I was told by the PCA board that copra prices are increasing, from a low of P2 to P5 per kilogram, the farm-gate price now is at P19 to P20 per kilogram and mill gate is P25 to P26 per kg,” said Dar.
He said the PCA has been ordered to step up efforts to help the coconut farmers, copra associations/cooperatives do “direct copra” marketing.
He said the PCA the board decided not to support the lifting of the ban on export of mature coconuts because the move is against the mediumto long-term directions of the agriculture department on enhancing more value-adding activities on the coconut.
Dar said the PCA board would not like the Philippine coco genetics to be copied in a bigger way by other countries.
“We will sustain the competitive variety of many cultivars today. Based on the consultations that many do not want to export mature coconuts” said Dar.
“We will enhance developing the coconut industry, again not just with copra and coconut oil, but to aim for high-value-added products,” he added.
Dar said the PCA will go for a massive fertilization program starting next year adding that the program should be guided with good agricultural practices and balanced fertilization.
He said the PCA will do massive intercropping of coconuts and massive replanting to replace about 100 million coconut trees. PCA has upscaled into new technologies for tissue culture, including somatic embryogenesis, that targets to produce more than 100 plantlets, he said.
Under the existing planting and replanting program, only one seedling is produced compared to as many as 100 which can be produced through tissue culture.
“We will go for upscaling, go for massive replanting and intercropping, and go for more partnership with private sector,” Dar said.
He said the right fertilization of the coconuts will also be applied. “Where before farmers apply only salt, now 16 elements will be tapped to make the coco trees robust and productive,” he said.