50-Million coconut trees by 2026

The Philippine Coconut Authority was sent a tall order to plant 50 million coconut trees by 2026 amid rising global demand for coconut products particularly for nutritional and pharmaceutical industries and to enable the country to regain its reputation as a top producer and exporter of this product.

The President wanted  ordered the Department of Agriculture to ensure that this is realized by also approving a P7 billion additional budget for the massive planting program for coconuts in 2026. The PCA originally intended to plant half or 25 million trees.

This aggressive planting strategy is part of a five-year program launched in 2023 to plant 100 million coconut trees by 2028.

So far, more than 8.5 million trees have already been planted in 2024, with at least 15 million more targeted for planting before the end of the year.

“The President has allocated additional funds for this, and we will involve coconut farming communities to fast-track the production of planting materials,” Laurel Jr. said.

The Philippines is bent on reclaiming its historic position in the coconut sector, which it lost to Indonesia 30 years ago.

The Marcos administration is keen on scaling up its coconut replanting efforts as it seeks to reclaim the country’s historic position as the world’s top coconut producer, a feat it lost to Indonesia nearly 30 years ago, the DA said.

The DA noted that the replanting effort is critical for the growth of the local coconut sector as many of the 340 million standing trees nationwide are already aging or “senile,” resulting in suboptimal output.

The massive replanting drive of the PCA comes amid rising global demand for coconut oil, driven in part by the European Union’s decision to classify palm oil as environmentally unsustainable due to high indirect land use change,the DA said.

Global coconut prices have been climbing due to lower copra output and surging demand for fresh coconuts as a health option, the DA added.

In 2024, Indonesia produced 17.13 million metric tons of coconuts, compared to the Philippines’ 14.77 million metric tons.

The agency also received a P1.8 billion budget for its fertilization program next year, aimed at boosting yields of existing trees.

The goal is to raise yields to at least 60 coconuts per tree annually through fertilization with agricultural grade salt while we wait for the new coconut trees to mature,” said Laurel. 

The average annual coconut yield per tree nationwide is about 40 nuts, according to the PCA.