[UA&P, Pasig City, Philippines]- On September 7, 2023, the Center for Research and Communication of the University of Asia and the Pacific (CRC- UA&P), through the Professorial Chair for Social Economics, in partnership with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), and in collaboration with Alay Buhay Foundation, held the IGNITE AsiaPacific Forum, entitled, Scaling Up Philippine Agribusiness by Integrating Smallholder Farms: A Focus on The Coconut Sector. The event, held at the Li Seng Giap Auditorium, UA&P, gathered industry leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders from agribusiness, government, cooperatives, and commerce. 

The forum tackled and initiated discussions on how coconut farmers and the cooperative sector can contribute to human and economic development. At large, it addresses social programs and growth in truly human values. The forum also discussed the opportunities integrating smallholder farms in order to achieve economies of scale, through co-operatives. The discussions looked into various models of small-scale, contract farming, specifically, arrangements which can be used to combine the assets of investors (capital, technology, markets) with those of local communities and smallholders (land, labor, and local knowledge).

PCCI  Chairman, Dr.  William Co, in his remarks, underscored the need for collective effort by both the government and private sector for the development and growth of the industry. PCCI Agriculture Subcommittee for Coconut Mr. Anton Sayo emphasized the importance of developing training regulations for agriculture to equip the stakeholders with the right knowledge, skills, and attitude.

PCCI Agriculture Subcommittee for Coconut Mr. Anton Sayo emphasized the importance of developing training regulations for agriculture to equip the stakeholders with the right knowledge, skills, and attitude.

Mr. Roel Rosales of the Philippine Coconut Authority presented the current state of the coconut industry. He said the coconut is widely cultivated but still needs to be nurtured.  He added that the PCA is determined to address the existing issues and challenges to boost the industry’s potential, and hopefully achieve its sustainability.

Dr. Bernardo M. Villegas, Chairholder of the PCSE, shared optimism about the coconut industry’s potential to spark a green revolution. He stressed the importance of integrating and consolidating small farms through cooperatives to achieve economies of scale and increased productivity. He attributed the agricultural sector’s historical backwardness to past policy choices and advocated that true economic progress should be measured by poverty alleviation rather than GDP growth, as 90 percent of coconut farmers currently live below the poverty line.

The subsequent speakers also contributed practical insights to the discussions. 

Christian Eyde Moeller, President & Co-Founder of Lionheart Farms Philippines Corporation, delved into the application of the Nucleus Estate Model in Lionheart Farms. 

Mr. Leo Parma, President of Kagawani Foundation, discussed the synergy between Worker Cooperatives and the Coconut Industry, highlighting a win-win partnership.

Lastly, Mr. Bienvenido P. Nito, Senior Consultant on Cooperatives at CRC-UA&P, shed light on the Role of Co-ops in the Countryside, sharing the story of Lamac MPC. 

The event concluded with closing remarks from Mr. Senen U. Reyes, Executive Director of the Center for Food and Agribusiness at UA&P. To end he posed the bigger challenge now is how do we operationalize, scale up, and replicate things so that the smallholder coconut farmers will be able to experience a better quality of life. This journey will not be easy, but the learnings this afternoon and the collective effort and cooperation of the industry stakeholders across the supply value chain will be the drivers for change.

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