Duterte Plans to Give Coco Levy to Farmers
Even before President-elect Rodrigo Duterte takes office at the Malacañang palace, he already advised his legal adviser to assess the legal implications and necessary requirements to release the coco levy funds to the farmers in the country.
During the Marcos regime, the coco levy was a tax imposed to the coconut farmers which primarily aim to develop this industry to further promote the value of our local products in the world market. More than three decades has passed but the intended budget for the improvement of the coconut industry in the Philippines has not been given to the farmers.
Duterte is highly motivated to share the funds to the poor farmers since he is also emotional due to the fact that his mother was also a coconut farmer. The incoming agriculture secretary Manny Piñol has been designated by Duterte to closely evaluate the plan and create an effective method in releasing the funds.
The intent of Duterte is aligned to the plan of Piñol which is the Coconut Productivity and Rehabilitation Agenda (COPRA) aiming to replant coconut on 600,000 hectares. The secretary said that this program would help the Philippines to regain the status of being the primary exporter of the coconut products around the world.
With this joint ideas, the coco levy would really give huge benefits to coconut farmers. Aside from having a direct access to “coconut seedlings, fertilizers and irrigation equipment on a soft loan or plant now pay later scheme” through COPRA, the release of the funds could undoubtedly uplift the moral of the farmers in the Philippines.