By Manny Piñol
Gumaca, Quezon – At least 1-million hectares of “mono-cropped” coconut farms will be transformed into “Model Coconut Farms” where farmers will practice diversified farming and embrace modern technology, including drip irrigation, over the next five years as part of the Coconut Industry Modernization Program of the Department of Agriculture.
The DA and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) yesterday formally launched the Model Coconut Farm Project which will initially develop 220-hectares, at one-hectare per module, all over the country into learning centres for new agricultural technology in coconut farming.
The program is in preparation for the implementation of the Coconut Levy Fund Utilisation Program expected before the end of this year.
An initial P50-million in loan funds at P25,000 per hectare was committed by the DA yesterday for the initial 2,000 coconut farmers in Quezon’s 4th district.
The DA will propose an annual loan fund of P5-B over the next five years starting 2020 to transform 1-million hectares of coconut farms into diversified farming areas.
The multi-cropping system which will be adopted in the “Model Coconut Farms” Project is expected to help coconut farmers generate additional income from their farms.
It is also expected to increase food production in the country with the utilisation of an additional 1-million hectares of under-utilised coconut areas in the country.
In Gumaca town, Quezon Province yesterday, a 4-hectare coconut farm was declared as the “model” of the Model Coconut Farm Project with all the vacant spaces underneath the coconuts planted to Cacao, vegetable and other cash crops.
Native pig raising and honey bee farming were also among the special features of the model farm where about 1,000 farmers from all over Quezon Province gathered yesterday for the launching of the project.
The DA has committed the establishment of a Solar-Powered Irrigation System which would provide drip irrigation to the coconuts, cacao and other crops in the farm thus boosting productivity.
The model farm, which is just about 50 meters away from the Manila-Bicol National Highway will serve as the learning centre for coconut farmers in the area.
Quezon 4th District Congresswoman Angelina Tan and Gumaca Mayor Erwin Caralian hailed the launching of the program and described it as a “new direction” for the coconut industry of the country.
The Philippines has about 3.5-million hectares of farmlands which produce 15-billion coconuts every year.
The areas underneath the coconut trees, however, are largely unproductive leaving the coconut farmers highly dependent on copra, the raw material for coconut oil production, for their income and livelihood.
With the drop of vegetable oil prices in the world market, coconut farmers are now complaining of very low income.
The DA’s “Model Coconut Farm” Project will show farmers that there are other activities, aside from just copra production, that could be done in their farms to cushion them from the adverse effects of volatile coco oil prices in the world market.
Among the crops introduced to the farmers yesterday were Cacao, Coffee, Black Pepper, Chili and vegetables and Sorghum for feed grains.
The DA hopes that the transformation of at least 1-million hectares of coconut mono-cropped farms into “Model Coconut Farms” over the next five years will greatly increase food production in the country.
(The first photo was downloaded from thumbaagrotech website showing an irrigated coconut farm. The other photos were taken in the “Model Coconut Farm” in Gumaca, Quezon Province yesterday during the launching of the program. Photos by DA-AFID Gian Carlo Luage.)
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