The Economic Development Committee (EDC) of the Regional Development Council (RDC) XI, during its special meeting/video conference on June 28, 2021, endorsed the Davao Region Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP), 2022-2026 and the Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (MIADP) to the RDC XI for the Council’s approval and endorsement.

During the EDC’s virtual conference, Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) XI Regional Manager Juvy T. Alayon presented the strategic programs, projects and activities (PAPs), as well as, the five-year targets, program management, inter-agency coordination and monitoring and evaluation of the Davao Region CFIDP.

Section 4 of Republic Act 11524 mandated the PCA to prepare the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP), to be approved by the President, as the basis for the utilization and management of Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund, for the development and rehabilitation of the coconut industry in the Philippines for 50 years.

The Davao Region CFIDP shall provide guidance and recommendation for the coconut industry’s long-term development, with a focus on inclusive growth to lift coconut farmers out poverty, and improving competitiveness and expanding market potential of traditional and non-traditional coconuts products in Davao Region.

Meanwhile, Director Ervanne Jay P. Belarmino of Department of Agriculture- Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran ng Kababayang Katutubo National Program Management Office (DA-4K NPMO), presented the project design, project components, project management, and the funding requirements of the Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (MIADP).

MIADP’s target beneficiaries are the farmers and fisherfolk in the Ancestral Domains (ADs) in Mindanao, through the Indigenous People Organization (IPO)/Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs), as recognized by the Indigenous Political Structure (IPS). The project plans to cover 20 out of 52 Ancestral Domains in Mindanao with a total estimated areas of 400,000 hectares and caters to 150,000 indigenous peoples.   

MIADP has four packages of intervention, namely: Component 1: Ancestral Domain Planning and Social Preparation; Component 2: Resilient Ancestral domain Agri-Fisheries Infrastructure; Component 3: Ancestral Domain Agri-Fisheries Production and Enterprise Development; and Component 4: Project Management and Support, Monitoring and Evaluation. These packages are geared towards agricultural development and providing livelihood to the IP communities, at the same time preserve, indigenous customs. 

The project shall serve as a tool in inculcating in the minds of the IP communities in the Region that the government has not abandoned them, but rather empowered them, to improve their way of life without changing their traditions and practices.

The projects are yet for deliberation of the RDC XI, wherein the proponent agencies are expected to respond to the EDC’s recommendations.

– Normiel B. Aslor, NEDA XI