‘Plant coconut, get incentives’
The Philippine Coconut Authority 6 is encouraging more farmers to participate in their program of massive coconut tree planting and thereby receive incentives.
PCA Regional Manager III Jose Cruz said that for the first batch of coconut tree planting, they have already realized the planting of one million coconut trees this year.
For the second batch, the PCA is targeting to plant half a million with seedlings now at the nurseries.
Cruz said that farmers who want to participate in coconut planting can contact their provincial PCA offices or municipal agriculture officers on how they can join the program.
For the second batch of coconut tree planting, the PCA is giving a total incentive of P30 for each planting material that is being religiously cultivated.
Of the P30 per seedling given to the farmer, P14 of this is given for the coconut seedling that has now grown two feet in germination and P16 for the seedling now stabilized in the farm.
Cruz said that in Western Visayas there are now around 340,000 to 360,000 coconut farmers, many of whom have been encouraged to plant because of the incentive.
“Although the El Niño has affected the first batch of coconut seedlings, the coconuts still survived,” he said.
Once described a sunset industry, coconut production is now becoming a rising industry with the farmers encouraged to plant coconut that has many uses and health benefits.
The PCA 6 will hold the 14th Regional Coconut Celebration on August 25 to 27 in Aklan, the top coconut producing province in Western Visayas.*PNA
