CENTURY Pacific Food, Inc.’s (CNPF) Coco Mama brand said it hopes to distribute 100,000 coconut seedlings over the next five years to support the industry’s bid to replace ageing trees.
“The project aims to contribute to the overall effort to revitalize the Philippine coconut industry,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
Coco Mama is CNPF’s coconut cream brand. The project was launched in General Santos City.
“Coco Mama’s ‘Save Our Coconuts’ Project is part of the brand’s efforts to contribute to the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) bigger mission of rehabilitating the coconut industry and uplifting the lives of coconut farmers,” it added.
The PCA has been tasked by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to plant 100 million coconut trees by 2028.
The rehabilitation plan aims to address the advanced age of the nut-bearing trees. The PCA is seeking to plant about 8.5 million trees this year.
“We make our commitment to provide quality seedlings to smallholder farmer communities in the region,” Coco Mama Marketing Director Bryan Lingan said.
Under the Philippine Coconut Industry Development Plan 2024-2034 the tree replacement project is expected to increase coconut production by 4.7 billion nuts, valued at P33.1 billion, by 2034.
By 2025, the PCA aims to plant 15.3 million trees, followed by 25.4 million annually between 2026 and 2028.
Earlier, the President allocated an additional P1 billion to the PCA for the planting operation in 2025, with an additional P2.5 billion set aside for fertilization. — Adrian H. Halili