ILOILO – With vast tracts of farmland still untapped, this province is positioning coconut as its next major cash crop, setting its sights on a bold 10,000-hectare expansion over the next three years.
Geron Magbanua, chief of the Crops Division of the Provincial Agriculture Office, said the plan begins with securing reliable sources of quality planting materials.
“Through the help of PCA, we are planning to establish different seednut farms and nurseries in the province to fast-track our expansion,” he said.
Currently, only about eight percent of the province’s agricultural land is planted with coconut, despite having an estimated 3.8 million coconut palms over 38,240.41 hectares.
Magbanua believes there is huge potential for growth.
“It is safe to say that up to 30 to 50 percent of the area can still be planted with coconut. If we can expand that, together with the help on processing and market linkage, it will be an alternative source of livelihood and can probably be an alternative source of income or main income of farmers who would like to divert from other commodities going to coconut,” he said.
The province has 37,414 registered coconut farmers and 20 associations and cooperatives. But most seednut sources remain in Mindanao, a logistical hurdle that both the province and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) are working to address.
Magbanua said awareness of national support mechanisms is also key.
“We want our farmers to be aware of the programs that they can avail from the PCA,” he said, referring to the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP) Fund.
The campaign was highlighted during the first Iloilo Provincial Coconut Week, last week. As part of the celebration, government offices were urged to promote coconut-based products. Vice Gov. Lee Ann Debuque suggested serving buko juice and other coconut products at provincial events, while PCA Western Visayas pushed for an ordinance requiring the use of buko products in official activities.
To safeguard the industry, authorities also called for stricter controls on the entry of seednuts from outside the province due to pest and disease threats observed in Mindanao and nearby regions.
As part of the festivities, 100 Tacunan coconut seednuts were planted in Barangay Nagbangi, Leon town on Aug. 27, and various processed coconut products are showcased at the Provincial Capitol’s Coconut Expo running until Aug. 29./PN