"Will our coconut farmers ever have a happy ending?"
"Will our coconut farmers ever have a happy ending?"
In 2017, the Supreme Court defined the nature and use of the coconut levy fund and coconut assets. The Court in its decision declared that the coconut levy funds and assets are public funds and must be used solely for the benefit of the coconut industry and its farmers. This certainly brought hope to our coconut farmers, after a drawn out and controversial legal tussle that lasted several decades.
At present, the total amount of the fund and assets are estimated at P100 billion.
To preserve the integrity of the public nature of the fund, there are bills in the 18th Congress creating a trust fund for the sole and exclusive benefit of coconut farmers and for the development of the coconut industry. The bills include safety measures to prevent misuse of the fund, among them: regular auditing by the COA, possibly in coordination with PCGG; congressional oversight functions; and a fixed life of 30 years. To my mind, the 30-year term expedites the full utilization of the fund.
President Duterte reiterated the need to pass such bill in his last SONA. As governor of Quezon Province, one of the largest coconut-producing provinces in the country, I share the President’s sentiments.
The coconut industry needs our support more than ever, in the face of so many challenges to its viability. Our coconut farmers continue to suffer as a result of declining copra prices in the world and local markets. Let us not forget that a number of our coconut plantations have been destroyed by past typhoons. The country lost 33 million coconut trees from typhoons Pablo and Yolanda, while many remain vulnerable to destruction every rainy season. Some of our coconut trees are also old and left barren and must therefore be replaced. Our farmers also have to deal with “cocolisap,” a biological pest that, in recent years, caused a massive infestation that fell over hundreds of thousands of trees.
I highly urge our government officials, particularly our legislators in both the House and the Senate, to expedite the passage of this bill, lest our farmers think that we are not empathetic to their needs.
It is high time that we allow the use of these funds for the further development of our coconut industry. We need research facilities and seed banks that will protect and ensure the supply of viable coconut seeds, particularly the better and resistant varieties. We need to develop sustainable methods of planting, harvesting, and processing of coconuts and its byproducts to maximize productivity. Our industry needs to modernize through availment of technologies and techniques, that will raise the standards of this sector to global competitiveness.
With proper use of the funds, dedicated solely and exclusively to the benefit of the coconut farmers who were the source of the funds, the saga of the coco levy fund will have a happy ending.