Coco farmers to get PCA project incentives; initial P288T for 212 beneficiaries
Roxas City -- Administrato r Oscar Garin of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) will turn over some P288,000 check to Capiz small coconut farmers tomorrow.
PCA Provincial Manager Jeffrey delos Reyes disclosed that Secretary Garin will personally hand in said amount to the first batch of coco farmer beneficiaries during the general assembly meeting of the Capiz Small Coconut Farmers Marketing Cooperative (CASCOFAMCO) in the province.
He said that said beneficiaries for the first batch payment under its Participatory Coconut Planting Project numbers 212 farmers.
Delos Reyes said that Capiz coco farmers were able to contribute some 140,000 seed nuts under said program, equivalent to about 31,000 metric tons of copra.
He added that with the present nationwide program on participatory coconut planting that will last on March 31, there is a temporary shortage of copra in the first quarter of the year.
Delos Reyes, however, stressed that Sec. Garin's comprehensive coconut productivity program will boost the country's coconut industry which is consistent with President Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo's Hunger Mitigation Master Plan.
He explained that the temporary shortage of copra that affects the present price of cooking oil will soon be addressed after the full-blast operation of the planting and replanting, salt fertilization for improved copra production, and coconut inter-cropping activities.
Presently, the prevailing price of cooking oil in the markets in Capiz ranges from P28.00 to 30.00 per bottle. (PIA)