PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has approved the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP) designed to increase the productivity and income of local coconut farmers.

Signed by Duterte on June 2 and released by Malacañang to the media on Wednesday, Executive Order (EO) 172 tasks the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) and other implementing agencies to issue guidelines and advisory opinions, or adopt specific policy recommendations and actions relative to the full implementation of the CFIDP.

The CFIDP will serve as a roadmap detailing various interventions to modernize and industrialize the country’s coconut industry, making it globally competitive.

“There is a need to approve the CFIDP to increase overall productivity and income of coconut farmers, alleviate poverty, and achieve the twin objectives of rehabilitating and modernizing the coconut industry to attain social equity,” the EO read.

It added that the CFIDP will be reviewed annually, “taking into consideration the absorptive capacity and performance of implementing agencies, as well as the outputs and outcomes of programs based on key performance indicators.”

All government departments, agencies, and instrumentalities, including state universities and colleges, corporations and financial institutions, as well as local government units, are directed to give their full assistance to and cooperation with the PCA.

Funding for coconut industry-related initiatives included in the CFIDP shall be sourced from the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund under Republic Act 11524, and from the regular appropriations of implementing agencies.

The law orders the utilization of at least P75 billion of coco levy funds to modernize the coconut industry and benefit around 2.5 million coconut farmers.

Source: https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/06/09/news/national/duterte-approves-cfidp/1846684