ILIGAN AND MINDANAO FARMERS BENEFIT FROM PHP 1.99 BILLION IN NEW COCONUT DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
Mindanao continues to serve as a vital pillar of the national coconut supply, producing nearly 46 percent of the Philippines total volume. With three of the highest producing regions located on the island, including Northern Mindanao where Iligan belongs, the sector plays an essential role in sustaining both local livelihoods and national agribusiness output. Despite this strength, the Philippine Coconut Industry Roadmap underscores ongoing challenges such as aging trees, climate pressures, and limited value adding capacity that hinder growth.
Iligan Focus: Strengthening the Coconut Value Chain in Mindanao
The Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project has committed PHP 1.99 billion to coconut related infrastructure and enterprise subprojects across Mindanao to help address these gaps. These interventions support coconut farmers by improving market systems, reducing post harvest losses, and expanding opportunities for higher value products that are increasingly in demand globally.
Mindanao Wide Investments (with keyword optimized highlights):
- Region XII: 23 subprojects worth PHP 836.62 million supporting major value chain upgrades
- Region XIII: 5 subprojects worth PHP 468.97 million for high impact agriculture facilities
- Region X: 10 subprojects worth PHP 234.62 million strengthening Iligan and nearby producers
- Region XI: 4 subprojects worth PHP 361.13 million improving regional agribusiness
- Region IX: 3 subprojects worth PHP 36.73 million supporting coconut farmers
- BARMM: 2 subprojects worth PHP 54.90 million building long term sustainability
These PRDP initiatives are implemented under the I REAP and I BUILD components. I REAP enhances enterprise development by organizing proponent groups, improving management capacity, and supporting value adding facilities that help farmers transition from raw nut selling to higher value commodities such as virgin coconut oil, coco sugar, coco coir, and activated carbon. Meanwhile, I BUILD delivers essential infrastructure including warehouses, trading posts, and farm to market roads, lowering transportation costs and boosting market access for communities including those near Iligan.
Under the PRDP Scale Up, an additional PHP 2.88 billion is being invested in coconut related projects now moving through implementation. These efforts are backed by value chain analysis and commodity investment plans under the I PLAN component, ensuring that interventions are strategic, market oriented, and beneficial to Mindanao’s coconut producers.
Support the Growth of Mindanao and Iligan’s Coconut Industry Today
With substantial funding and targeted value chain interventions, Mindanao’s coconut sector is positioned for stronger competitiveness in both domestic and global markets. Communities in and around Iligan are encouraged to take advantage of ongoing programs, enterprise opportunities, and support mechanisms that strengthen long term agricultural development.
