Coco farm dev't program to boost productivity
The establishment of nurseries, coconut intercropping, coconut value-adding, and operation of agribusiness service kiosk are the four components of the Coconut Farm Development Program expected to bring countrywide development for the coconut industry.
In the Memorandum of Agreement recently signed by the Coconut Industry Investment Fund Oil Mills Group and the Federation of Free Farmers, the aforesaid components of the Coconut Farm Development Program (CFDP) will be operationalized through the promotion of efficient, competitive and sustainable coconut farming systems.
As stipulated in the memorandum of Agreement, the coconut program seeks to address the issue ensuring substantial supply of coconut/copra which is required in meeting the annual demand of the Coconut Industry Investment Fund (CIIF) Oil Mills Group amounting to 867 metric tons per year and subsequently increase farmers' yields within two years.
The CIIF Oil Mills Group, a private association of accredited oil mills operating all over the country, tapped several networks of farmers' organization to assist in the implementation of the program at the ground level.Specifically, the aim is to develop 1.3 million hectares of agribusiness lands to increase the productivity of coconut farm systems by providing small coconut farmers and their families' livelihood, employment, and income opportunities.
In the implementation of the coconut program, members of the network adopted a strategy of clustering, to develop 3,000 hectares of agribusiness land per cluster within the allotted three-year period for the project.
It was learned that prior to this agreement, the CIIF Oil Mills Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF), small coconut farmers cooperatives/organizations, non-government organizations, educational institutions, and local government units to form a national network called FFF-CDFP Network to implement the coconut program.(PIA/T.Villavert)