Coconut industry stakeholders consult the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) on March 14, 2019 about the necessary actions to address the declining price of copra that affects the local coconut sector. The stakeholders together with Agriculture Secretary Manny F. Piñol, DA Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Segfredo R. Serrano, and PCA OIC-Administrator Glenn B. Santos have identified several short- to long-term measures that will protect the local coconut industry. The domestic price of copra is affected by the global market price of coconut oil, which is also dependent on the global supply and demand state of other vegetable oils. It has dropped following the surge in the supply of other vegetable oils, particularly the palm oil that has a low price in the world market. Recognizing that the falling price of copra is a calamitous problem especially to the local coconut farmers, the DA has committed to enforce policies and programs that will capacitate farmers to produce high-value products from coconuts other than coconut oil. ### (Photo by Alan Jay Jacalan, DA-AFID)