MODERNIZATION About 2.5 million small farmers are expected to benefit from the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan. —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
The Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) has announced that the government is taking steps to strengthen capacity-building initiatives for coconut farmers in order to revitalize the local coconut industry.
According to PCAF, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) have been assigned to reassess the skills requirements of the sector to improve farmers’ livelihoods and productivity.
During a meeting organized by the National Sectoral Committee on Coconut, it was recommended that a technical working group be formed to develop and harmonize such programs.
Tesda’s Yvette Joy Lazada stated that the agency is willing to facilitate the development of programs in the absence of existing training regulations, with the assistance of industry players.
Training regulations are the competency standards for a national qualification, which include the competency-based curriculum, instructional materials, and competency assessment tools, according to PCAF.
ATI deputy director Antonieta Arceo stated that their training programs are based on the training needs assessment provided by the Development Academy of the Philippines, and they also support the Department of Agriculture’s seed distribution efforts.
“For example, if there is a scheduled distribution of seeds or dairy animals, then the trainings to be conducted in the area will be about seeds and dairy,” Arceo said.
Arceo added that another training assessment will be conducted later this year to aid in the development of programs for 2024.
In addition, Lazada presented the 2023 work and financial plan for the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP). This includes the coconut farmers scholarship program and the listing of initially identified skills requirements as validated by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
The CFIDP outlines various programs and projects needed to rehabilitate and modernize the coconut industry, benefiting 2.5 million small farmers nationwide. It serves as the basis for utilizing the P75-billion coco levy fund, which has been the subject of controversy.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, coconut output increased by 1.45 percent to 14.93 million metric tons (MT) in 2022 from 14.71 million MT in the previous year. Coconut oil exports reached $2.1 billion in the previous year, a 46.7 percent increase from $1.4 billion in 2021.
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