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Local farmers here stand to benefit from the production of cocoa and coconut, which are regarded as high-value commodities with a large area appropriate for growth in this northern region of Luzon.

The Agricultural Program Institute (ATI) in the Ilocos Region has scheduled a five-day program for farmer-leaders and agricultural extension workers to become the next batch of teachers for training on the coconut-cacao farming system to assist farmers in diversifying their sources of income.

The training will occur from May 22–26, 2023, at the ATI satellite facility in Batac City, Ilocos Norte’s Barangay Tabug.

Five slots are available for extension workers, 15 for partners in agriculture learning sites, and representatives of state colleges and universities, according to Engr. Jordan G. Gabur, a training specialist at the ATI-Regional Training Center I, who stated this in an interview on Monday.

According to him, the registration deadline is May 16, 2023. “While slots are still available, interested participants may register now to this link https://forms.gle/buWdQTzzWUSLrmP56 for you to receive an official invitation,” he stated.

The government’s initiative to revive the coconut industry included the approval of the Coconut Growers and Industry Fund Act in 2021, which aims to boost the income and output of the nation’s 2.5 million coconut growers.

Additionally, it aims to revive and modernize the Philippine coconut sector while advancing social fairness, education, and efforts to reduce poverty.

The program aims to boost the average coconut production from 40–45 nuts per tree to 150 nuts annually by utilizing contemporary farming methods, superior varieties, and the power of science and technology.

Contrarily, cacao has been proven to work with a variety of production techniques; as a result, one of the training’s main focuses is on the coconut-cacao farming system.

For instance, numerous local farmers are using hybrid types to increase the size of their cocoa and coconut farms in Pagudpud and Adams Town.

With support from the Philippine Coconut Authority, the Department of Agriculture’s agency is leading the charge to plant hybrid coconut, which can produce 150 nuts a year.

With the addition of proper agricultural methods, the hybrid coconut might also produce up to 300 nuts annually.

Barangay Caparispisan has a nursery where coconut farmers can purchase seedlings to plant in other settlements.

Since it takes three to four years for hybrid coconut trees to begin bearing nuts, the PCA also suggests intercropping techniques that involve growing other high-value commodities like cocoa, coffee, and bananas to boost the income of coconut farmers.

While this is happening, a group of indigenous peoples (IPs) in Adams, Ilocos Norte, are also enlarging their cacao plantations to add additional types and produce more chocolate goods.

As a start-up program to support a nearby chocolate factory, IP producers in the neighborhood hope to establish at least 10 more hectares of cacao plantation from the existing 1,350 cacao trees.

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