CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) — To highlight the current status of the coconut industry in the region and celebrate the 38th National Coconut Week, the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA)-10 held the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP) Information Caravan and Farmers and Stakeholders Assembly on August 23.
The event, themed “Paghubog sa Pilipinong Magniniyog Daan sa Pag-angat ng Ekonomiya at Maunlad na Bagong Pilipinas (Shaping the Filipino Coconut Farmer: A Path to Economic Growth and a Prosperous New Philippines),” aimed to underscore the achievements and plans of PCA-10 and its partner agencies in implementing CFIDP under Republic Act 11524, also known as the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act.
“This is an important day for the coconut industry because this is our third year of the implementation of the CFIDP program funded under the coconut levy funds. This activity today will not only be the presentation of the accomplishment; unsa ang inyong mga suggestions pa gyud, input para ma-implement sa maayo ang development nga atong ginatinguha para sa atong coconut industry dinhi sa Region 10,” said PCA-10 Regional Manager Manuel Octobre.
(We will incorporate suggestions and inputs to effectively implement the desired development in our coconut industry in Region 10.)
PCA-10 Board Director Pepito Capangpangan highlighted the vital role of coconut in the region’s economy, saying, “Daghan kaayo ang kabulahanan sa lubi so nganong mangundang man ta, padayon tang mutanom kay dinhi sa Region 10, dako kaayo ang kontribusyon sa lubi dinhi sa ekonomiya sa Region 10, more than 50 percent sa atong export naa sa lubi, ang income sa lubi.”
(There are so many benefits from coconut, so why should we stop? Let’s continue planting because, here in Region 10, coconut significantly contributes to the economy. Coconut accounts for more than 50 percent of our export income.)
Capangpangan also announced a massive tree-planting initiative on August 28, aligned with a directive from the President to plant 100 million trees in five years. Thus, aiding the country to regain the top spot in terms of production.
Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando Uy, through City Administrator Roy Raagas, said, “We will continue to back agricultural productivity programs and projects that ensure sufficient resources for sustainable production across our city’s farm area, particularly in coconut-producing barangays and communities.”
Raagas also stated that the city government will promote both coconut and bamboo, as bamboo can discourage people from cutting down coconut trees for lumber. Bamboo serves as an excellent construction material, and its shoots are also very useful, he added.
“Ang Cagayan de Oro naa pa ma’y 50 kilometers nga mga barangay gikan sa syudad, Cagayan de Oro pa-Besigan ug Tumpagon, so mubyahe ta paingon didto, daghan pa kaayo nga walay tanom nga mga lugar, mahimong matamnan sa mga lubi,” Raagas said.
There are still 50 kilometers of barangays in Cagayan de Oro, stretching from the city to Besigan and Tumpagon, where many areas remain unplanted with coconut trees. These areas could be cultivated with coconut trees.)
Several national agencies, including the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation, the Department of Agriculture, the Commission on Higher Education, the Agricultural Training Institute, and the Department of Trade and Industry, pledged their support to help improve the lives of farmers and their families. (RTP/PIA-10)
