MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) said Thursday it is eyeing boosting the potential of Philippine coconut exports to West Africa.
This comes after the DA and Davao City-based Avante Agri-Products Philippines, Inc. rolled out a humanitarian shipment, consisting of two container loads of young coconuts, to Liberia.
The shipment will be donated to rural communities in support of the feeding program in the African country.
In a statement, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the humanitarian initiative is seen as opening the Philippines’ potential market access to West Africa.
“Expanding into new international markets creates opportunities for our coconut farmers and exporters,” he said.
At least 32,000 whole green fresh young coconuts have been shipped to Monrovia, Liberia.
The estimated 50-metric-ton shipment in two 40-foot refrigerated containers has a combined free-on-board (FOB) value of USD22,400.
Each container holds 16,000 coconuts packed in 800 sacks, with 20 pieces per sack.
This shipment supports the government’s push to diversify the country’s export destinations and further enhance the country’s agricultural trade, Tiu Laurel said.
“The challenge is to turn these initial shipments into sustained demand that delivers better returns to our farmers and strengthens the Philippine coconut industry,” he added.
Through diversified and high-value market access, Filipino farmers may benefit from a more competitive livelihood.
This may be realized through repeat orders and stronger demand, which may lead to better farm-gate prices.
Beyond the potential for higher export volumes, other trade considerations for farmers include shipping costs, product quality, supply consistency, and the share of export revenues. (PNA)
