The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) supports a bill to establish a Coconut Farmers' Trust Fund that would benefit poor coconut farmers. The initial funding for the Trust Fund would come from recovered coco levy funds totaling around 70 billion pesos. The Trust Fund would assist marginalized coconut farmers in developing coconut-based enterprises to compete globally and increase farmer incomes, which currently average only 3,000 pesos per month. The bill also proposes a committee with government and farmer organization representatives to administer the Trust Fund and revitalize the coconut industry for the benefit of farmers, especially small and poor ones.

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Office of the President of the Philippines
NATIONAL ANTI-POVERTY COMMISSION
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PRESS RELEASE
May 13, 2014
NAPC Supports Coco Farmers’ Trust Fund
“It’s about time that we make the recovered coco levy funds benefit the poor coconut farmers,”
said anti-poverty chief, Secretary Jose Eliseo Rocamora.
The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) supports the filing of petition for indirect
initiative to enact the Coconut Farmers’ Trust Fund Act of 2014. The bill aims to develop the
country’s coconut industry and provide benefits long overdue to poor coconut farmers.
The initial capital of the Trust Fund will come from the recovered monies of the coco levy funds,
starting from the proceeds of the Coconut Industry Investment Fund–San Miguel Corporation
(CIIF-SMC) Series 1 preferred shares and its dividends, amounting to around P70 billion.
The Coconut Farmers’ Trust Fund will assist marginalized coconut farmers develop coconut-
based enterprises that can compete in the global market.
“And more importantly, these coco-based enterprises aim to immediately increase the income of
poor coco farmers,” Sec. Rocamora added. “On average, a poor copra farmer earns only around
P3,000 a month.
The bill also proposes a committee that will run the Trust Fund. The members will come from
government agencies, including NAPC, and from the farmers’ organizations.
Through this bill, government with the coconut farmers takes steps to immediately use the
recovered levy funds to revitalize the coconut industry that will benefit coconut farmers,
especially small and poor farmers.
“The indirect initiative of small coconut farmers is historic because it shows their willingness to
coordinate with the government, particularly Congress, in utilizing untapped coco levy funds for
the development of the industry,” said Sec. Rocamora.
For more inquiries, please contact:
MR. BRYAN VILLASANA
NAPC Communications Officer
+639272862812