TREE OF LIFE. Coconut plantations are being expanded in Pagudpud town, Ilocos Norte province for processing in the future. The local government unit aims to plant 50,000 seedlings this year. (PNA file photo by Leilanie Adriano)
LAOAG CITY – The local government unit of Pagudpud is calling on individuals or groups in this coastal town to plant more coconut seedlings to generate more income and a greener future.
Jose Morata, municipal environment and natural resources officer of Pagudpud, told the Philippine News Agency on Thursday that 50,000 coconut seedlings from the Philippine Coconut Authority will jumpstart the greening project while ensuring sustainable livelihood for residents through a revitalized coconut industry in the area.
“The PCA has granted 50,000 coconut seedlings for Pagudpud as requested by mayor Rafael Ralph Benemerito to revitalize our coconut industry. Target areas [this year] include the Integrated Social Forestry program and private individuals,” he said.
Morata said a memorandum of agreement with the coconut farmers of Pagudpud is now being finalized for the growing of more coconut trees that could expand to around 82 hectares if the distance of planting is seven by seven meters.
Called the “tree of life”, demand for coconut products is attributed to the versatile nature of the plant, every part of which, from roots to tips, has practical uses.
The PCA, an agency under the Department of Agriculture (DA), is spearheading the planting of more coconut trees nationwide as part of the country’s poverty alleviation program.
The agency said hybrid coconut has the potential to yield 150-300 nuts per year by utilizing hybrid technology with good agricultural practices.
Benemerito said a nursery is now in place in Barangay Caparispisan where coconut farmers can get their seedlings planted in the different villages.
To provide additional income for the locals while growing coconut trees, PCA is recommending intercropping coconuts with bananas.
This way, coconut farmers can have a source of income while waiting for three to four years for hybrid coconut trees to bear nuts.
Benemerito said an agro-industrial hub covering 11 hectares lot property of the local government unit is being constructed, which will soon house different processing facilities for the town’s agricultural products, particularly coconut.
“Pagudpud has vast plantations of coconut and we are expanding it because a lot of products can be derived from it like virgin coconut oil, cooking oil, and many others,” he said. (PNA)
