World Coconut Congress Presentations, Part 2

In the afternoon session of Day 2, the fourth session delved on Climate Change Adaptation Measures.  This was chaired by Dr. Rex Demafelis, Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension, and Chairman, Interdisciplinary Biofuels Research Study Center and UPLB Interdisciplinary Life Cycle Assessment Laboratory.  

SME Commodities President Redentor Galura, the first speaker, provided an outlook on the possible effect of the ongoing El Niño weather phenomenon, which will last until 2024 to crude coconut oil (CNO) prices in the world market. With price movements in the recent El Niño years as basis, he forecasts a 75% to 200% jump in CNO prices in the next 16 months. The Philippine mill gate copra prices may rise to ?50 per kilo by December 2024, while palm oil prices may rise by 50% to 100%.

The second speaker, Dr. Liberty Canja from the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) enumerated recommended strategies in addressing the effect of climate change to the local coconut industry. Those include intercropping with perennial crops like cacao and coffee; using coconut residue as natural soil fertilizer; planting and replanting of coconut trees; biomass energy utilization (charcoal and firewood); green manuring (use of leaves of kakawate or ipil-ipil trees as nitrogen sources in the soil); water irrigation; and using integrated soil fertility management practices. 

To wrap up the session, Engineer Rubenita Cabilin from the Department of Energy highlighted the role of coconut oil in helping produce clean, sustainable, and efficient energy in the country. The Biofuels Act of 2006 or R.A. 9367 is being implemented to increase the contribution of biofuels in the local energy mix—aimed at reducing the nation’s dependence on imported fossil-based fuels and in the process helping protect the environment and creating livelihood opportunities for coconut farmers. Currently, biodiesel blend mandated by the law is at 2% (B2) while 10% (E10) for bioethanol. The local coconut industry is still working with the department for a much-awaited increase of coco biodiesel component in the blend. 

Day 3 focused on sustainability and sustainable practices involving or targeting the coconut industry. Session 5 on Investing and Other Issues for Sustainable Development was chaired by Director Bianca Pearl Sykimte of the Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau. 

The first presentation was on “Technology for good: Driving positive change with 1.000 million coconut trees planted.”   Century Pacific Agri Ventures, Inc. Vice President and General Manager Noel Tempongko Jr. opened the presentation by telling how their company aims to ‘Sustain the Source.’ “It will not take a village but a whole country,” he said upon introducing The 1 Million Tree Project.  

The 1 Million Tree Project is a joint effort by Century Pacific, impact organization HOPE, and digital financing and e-wallet app GCash. It has distributed 1 million coconut seedlings planted across about 10,000 hectares of land in Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, and Surigao. It has so far reached 7,646 farmers, 32% of which are women, and has generated PHP 25 million income benefitting local communities. 

HOPE Founder and Executive Chairperson Nanette Medved-Po outlined the project’s distribution process. HOPE identifies the target areas and coordinates with the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) for identification of coconut supplies. The seedlings are germinated for 3 to 5 months before distributed and planted. Monitoring of the newly planted trees starts until the time the trees can live on their own. Friends of Hope Managing Director Ilusion Farias said they then get in to do the monitoring on ground and in the process help convert coconut farmers into microentrepreneurs by introducing them to applicable livelihood activities.  

The 1 Million Tree Project is now looking forward to plant “The Next Million Trees.”

For its part, GCash provided a quick look into its GCash Green Movement, with its GForest feature in the app as a flagship initiative. GForest is the digital reforestation program of the company, enabling app users to donate to reforestation. GCash AVP for Sustainability Charles Joshua Alegre also reiterated how the use of the app helps reduce carbon emission as consumers skip the need to travel physically to do transactions, which are fully paperless.  

Meanwhile, Sustainable Coconut Partnership, a joint venture of supportive companies in the Philippines and Indonesia, shared insights on how the private sector can help empower the coconut industry. Executive Director Gregory Bardies, the speaker, identified the goals of Sustainable Coconut Partnership, which include increasing farmers’ income, enhancing the supply chain traceability, developing best practices, and catalyzing responsible coconut production.  

The next presentation was on “Getting everyone on the sustainable bus” by Ferdinand dela Cruz, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer of Franklin Baker Co. of the Philippines, who shared the company’s sustainability programs.  A joint initiative with chocolate maker Mars aims to restore livelihoods and build resilience among farmers in 10 years. He also cited another project with Danone that aims to enhance organic coconut production in select areas, and another project that institutes sustainable development and good agricultural practices in the local coconut supply chain.  
 
The last presentation in the session on “Roadmap to sustainability” was from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Senior Investment Officer for East Asia and the Pacific Serra Ekinci, who discussed how the organization helps in sustainability through providing financing to countries. IFC, according to her, has intervention across the agribusiness value chain “from farm to fork.”   

The final session was a Panel discussion on Regenerative Agriculture.  This was moderated by Mr. Christopher Ilagan, Chairman, AmCham Agribusiness Committee.  Nestle Philippines Government and Industry Affairs Executive Donnel Tiedra calls on the government to extend its support for regenerative agriculture. According to him, Nestle targets to make regenerative farming account for more than half of its coffee production by 2050. 

Dr. Virgilio Villancio, a former Director at the Agricultural Systems Institute of the College of Agriculture in UP Los Banos advises coconut farmers to maximize the productivity of coconut farms through intercropping, a common practice wherein other perennial crops are planted underneath coconut trees. Coffee, banana, and cacao, according to him are some of the most recommended and common trees that can be intercropped with coconut trees.  

Lastly, Control Union Philippines Certifications Manager Sashika Rajapakse reminds the industry that regenerative agriculture required continuous improvements and adjustments because it is not “one size fits all.” Getting a certification for the system is recommended by him.