Hiked income seen for coconut farmers in 3 Samar provinces
Jack C. Gadaingan
CATARMAN, Northern Samar — Coconut farmers here, who are members of the Samar Island Coconut Planters Association (SICPA), are thankful to former Northern Samar congressman Wilmar P. Lucero (2nd district) for making Samar Island a pilot area in the coconut industry investment fund (CIIF) coco-jatropha program.
This program, launched on Nov. 14, 2007, is geared towards the development of bio-diesel fuel industry in Samar.
It calls for CIIF to finance the establishment of 10 integrated coconut-jatropha seedling production centers in the three provinces of Samar. It also involves the construction of a P128.4-million, 10-ton-capacity jatropha processing plant in June next year.
The 10 centers run by state colleges and universities will ensure a stable supply of coconut and jatropha seedlings to farmers who will engage in coconut-jatropha inter-cropping.
The jatropha processing plant, which will be situated at the University of Eastern Philippines (UEP) campus here, will ensure farmers a ready market for their jatropha produce.
Lucero, now a CIIF board director and proponent of the project, thanked President Arroyo for her program to fight hunger and alleviate poverty in the countryside, particularly coconut farmers.
He also thanked CIIF Oil Mills Group president and CEO Danilo M. Coronacion "for being a leader of vision with the realization of this landmark program, and for bringing it first to the third largest island in the country that is Samar, where 60 percent of the agricultural lands are cultivated by coconut farmers.
Rodolfo Mercado, supervisor of the Coconut Federation of Northern Samar, and John Amaro, president of the Samar Island Coconut Planters Association, are both optimistic over the coco-jatropha program, saying this would immensely benefit the coconut farmers of Samar -- who are prone to economic setbacks during the typhoon season because they are solely dependent on copra for their income.
It was estimated that one hectare planted to jatropha would yield annually some P200,000 in additional income to the coconut farmers.
Meanwhile, it was learned that many schools, both private and public, are now asking the CIIF that they be allowed to become partners of the program in the seedling production as well.
Establishing the seedling centers in schools is a strategy that is expected to free the project from the influence of partisan politics, Lucero said.
That is the reason for the decision not to involve the various local government units in the project, he also said.
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