ROXAS CITY, Capiz (PIA) — A total of 523 farmers graduated from the 16-week School-On-Air (SOA) on Coconut Production and Processing last August 13 at the Gerry Roxas Training and Convention Center in Brgy. Dayao, Roxas City.
The SOA, dubbed “Masaganang Coco-Buhayan: Radyo Eskwela sa Pagniniyugan,” was designed to empower farmers with the necessary knowledge and skills to enhance their productivity, increase profitability, and improve the overall quality of coconut products.
The initiative was a partnership between the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI), and the Capiz provincial government through its provincial radio station, Radyo Maragtas, which aired the weekly program.
“I learned how to select good coconut seeds, suitable locations for coconut trees, proper spacing when planting coconut seedlings, identification of coconut pests, intercropping and raising of animals in the coconut plantation, and processing of harvested coconuts,” said SOA graduate Jomer Marcelino.
The 47-year-old farmer from Barangay Timpas in Panitan town said he wanted to develop a coconut-based product in accordance with what he learned from the SOA to level up his livelihood in copra production and mature coco seed nuts trading.
Another SOA graduate, 48-year-old coconut processor Remia Locsin, said she wanted to know what the other implementing agencies of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFDIP) were in order to ask for their help in developing more coconut-based food and non-food products.
“As a coconut processor, I have developed buko nuggets, buko gravy, and bottled buko water,” she shared.
In addition, Locsin is currently the general manager of the Dulangan Farmers Marketing Cooperative, based in Pilar town.
“We want to produce fresh buko juice as an alternative to soft drinks,” she said.
Other SOA graduates are from Ivisan, Jamindan, Maayon, Panitan, Pilar, Pontevedra, President Roxas, Sapian, Sigma, and Tapaz.
The graduation ceremony was graced by PCA regional manager Neil J. Melencion, PCA Capiz chief Andy Laurilla, DA-ATI 6 officials led by their center director Mary Ann Ramos, and Radyo Maragtas station manager Lyndofer Glenn Beup, among others. (PIA Capiz)
