"This is an emotional issue for the coconut farmers, including my late mother. The coconut levy funds should be given to the farmers," Piñol quoted Duterte as telling his Cabinet appointees, in a meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on Wednesday night.
"I am directing Atty. Panelo to look into this matter and make sure that the coconut levy funds are released to the farmers," Duterte added.
The levy was imposed on coconut farmers during the dictatorship regime of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.
According to GMA News Research, the coco levy fund has reached P93 billion, and that P74 billion has been remitted to the Bureau of Treasury.
Speaking to farmers in Los Baños, Laguna in March, Duterte vowed to distribute the unreleased P71 billion coconut levy funds during his first 100 days in office.
The directive was made after Piñol talked about his plans for the industry during the second Cabinet meeting.
He had already spoken to the officials of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) about a six-year, 600,000-hectare coconut planting program.
“I was assured by PCA officials that the agency and its stakeholders are capable of producing planting materials to cover the 600,000-hectares of new coconut areas in the country,” the incoming Agriculture chief reported.
Piñol has already drafted the proposal for the project, initially called Coconut Productivity and Rehabilitation Agenda (COPRA). It aims to regain the country’s status as the number one coconut producer in the world.
For this program, farmers will be granted a soft loan or a “plant now, pay later” scheme for coconut seedlings, fertilizers, and irrigation equipment. Introduction of secondary crops like abaca, cacao, coffee, and black pepper will also be incorporated with the coconut planting program.
“Thousands of jobs are projected to be generated by this program which would result in greater economic activities in the countryside,” Piñol said.
“With the expected release of the coconut levy funds to the real owners and the start of the massive national coconut planting program, the coconut industry is expected to regain its reputation as one of the country's biggest foreign exchange earners for the country,” he added.
Source: GMA NEWS
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