THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is pushing the Philippine coconut industry toward higher-value products after coconut exports rose 34.4 percent to US$3.6 billion in 2025, the agency said.
Coconut products accounted for nearly half of the country’s agro-based exports last year, contributing to record total export revenues of $84.48 billion, DTI said, in a statement.
The industry also supports about 2.8 million Filipino farmers, making it a key source of income and employment in rural communities.
“The value of our coconut industry lies not only in what we harvest, but in what we create from it,” DTI Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque said in a statement during the opening of the DTI–Bagong Pilipinas Coconut Philippines Trade Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026.
Roque said the government wants to expand the industry’s market reach by encouraging the production of competitive, high-value coconut products.
The DTI is linking coconut enterprises with international buyers through export promotion programs, business matching, trade missions and the Philippine Trade and Investment Centers overseas.
About 300 micro, small and medium enterprises are participating in the trade fair, seeking opportunities for product development, direct market linkages and commercial partnerships.
The initiatives complement the government’s Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan, which aims to support farmers and strengthen the coconut value chain.
Roque also pointed to growing overseas demand for Philippine agricultural products, including bananas, pineapples, calamansi and ube, as opportunities for local producers to expand their export markets.
Coconut exporters are also expected to benefit from the Philippines’ expanding network of free trade agreements (FTAs), including the recently concluded Philippines-Chile FTA negotiations and ongoing trade talks with the European Union and Canada.
“The world already knows the exceptional quality of Philippine coconut products. Now, we must create more Filipino success stories that will bring better lives to our farmers and uplift communities nationwide,” Roque said. / KOC