Legazpi City—The Philippine Coconut Authority in Bicol has disbursed incentives amounting to P3.2 million under the participatory coconut planting project, benefiting at least 890 farmers in the region.
Regional information officer Ed Bailon said the 890 farmers represent 85 percent of the 1,037 total farmer-participants who complied with all documentary requirements, validation and assessment.
“The first step to avail of the project is to enroll with the PCA regional office and the setting of their nursery for seeds nuts. This project requires the coconut farmer to plant 75 seeds in a minimum of one-half hectares or a maximum of 750 seed nuts for 5 hectares,” Bailon said.
From 2017 to 2018, the national government has allocated P14 million for the program.
As of July, PCA Bicol received 2,340 farmer-participants, but only 1,037 passed the preparatory phase of the project.
“In the preparatory phase, farmer is required to satisfy the basic requirement which is operation of a nursery,” he said. “The monitoring start from the setting of seedling nursery then followed by field planting, this means that the coconut seeds are already rooted.”
Under the project, a farmer-participant will be paid P18 per seedling with a maximum of 100 seeds per hectares and P22 per rooted (or stabilized) coconut seedlings with a total of 100 maximum seeds planted.
In Bicol, Camarines Sur has a total of 983 farmers from 15 municipalities enrolled in the project; followed by Masbate with 402 farmers from four towns; Camarines Norte with 340 farmers from eight municipalities; Sorsogon with 195 farmers from 10 municipalities; Catanduanes with 253 from three towns; and Albay with 167 farmers from six towns.