WITH an average of 20 typhoons hitting the Philippines each year, the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA 11) continues to implement projects aimed at helping coconut farmers increase their yield.
“Alam naman natin na malaking bahagi ng bansa natin ay dinadayo ng bagyo na nagdadala rin ng malalakas na hangin na maaring sumira sa mga niyogan natin (We know that a large part of our country gets visited by typhoon which brings strong winds that can destroy our coconuts),” PCA officer-in-charge and division chief Djoana Eve Rivera said.
She cited Accelerated Coconut Planting and Replanting Project (ACPRP), which seeks to replace senile and typhoon damaged coconut trees.
The components of the ACPRP include: Participatory Coconut Planting Project (PCPP), which gives cash incentive to farmers for every good coconut seedling produced in their own farms; Coconut Seedlings Dispersal Project (CSDP), which distributes good quality coconut seedling to farmers and partners like the local government units (LGU) and non-government organizations among others; and Indigenous People’s Outreach Program (IPOP), which aims to encourage indigenous peoples (IPs) to engage in coconut planting.