By Leilanie Adriano
Another coastal municipality in Ilocos Norte has joined the government’s coconut revolution, planting high-yielding varieties in reforestation areas and idle lots to boost farmers’ income and ensure food security, officials said Thursday.
Jay-Arr Tiguiamo, municipal environment and natural resources officer, said the local government of Burgos has partnered with the Philippine Coconut Authority for the distribution of free coconut seedlings to interested farmers and groups.
“Initially, we received 3,668 coconut seedlings for the first batch from the PCA. Then, another round of 7,000 seedlings have arrived ready for planting,” Tiguiamo told the Philippine News Agency.
Mayor Crescente Garcia led the town’s participation in the Massive Coconut Planting Program (MCPP), part of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s vision to plant 100 million coconut trees by 2028. The initiative is a priority project under the administration’s agricultural modernization and food security agenda.
Ilocos Norte’s towns of Pagudpud, Currimao, and Batac City have also started planting more coconut trees in their respective areas.
Aside from seedlings, the PCA is providing agricultural-grade salt fertilizer to coconut farmers. A technical briefing is conducted for registered growers to ensure proper planting and fertilizer application.
The PCA is spearheading the MCPP nationwide as a national renewal movement aimed at empowering coconut farmers and restoring productivity to one of the country’s most vital agricultural sectors. (PNA)