The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) is supporting the development of a roadmap for the coconut industry of Quezon province.
Searca convened industry stakeholders last May for the project titled "Development of the Coconut Industry Growth Areas in the Province of Quezon" aimed at gathering inputs and recommendations for the province's coconut industry roadmap.
The collaborative activity was organized by Searca, the Quezon Provincial Government through the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg), and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Region 4A. with support from the Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) in Calabarzon. Quezon is part of Calabarzon along with Batangas, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.
Ana Clarissa Mariano, Quezon provincial agriculturist, thanked all the agencies involved in supporting the Coconut Farmers Industry Development Program (CFIDP).
Citing available data, Mariano said Quezon has the highest number of coconut trees and the largest population of farmers. She highlighted the need for a well-structured coconut plan specific to the province.