A sectoral consultation on rice and coconut, led by the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Council-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (RAFC-BARMM), was conducted on October 21, 2019 in Cotabato City.

Participants in the Sectoral Consultation held on October 21, 2019 in Cotobato City

The consultation was attended by chairpersons of Provincial Agriculture and Fisheries Councils (PAFC) of BARMM, Municipal Agriculture and Fisheries Councils (MAFC) of Maguindanao Province, and some coconut farmer-leaders from Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur provinces. PCA XIV-BARMM RM Marina B. Wahab also was present in the consultation and talked about the measures being undertaken by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) in order to mitigate the effects of low copra prices.

In the photo (third from the left): PCA Region XIV-BARMM Regional Manager Ms. Marina B. Wahab

Also present was Mr. Romeo “Ka Omie” Royandoyan, Chairperson of the Committee on Coconut and National Sectoral and Strategic Concerns Committee (NSSCC) of the Philippine Council on Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF), who presented updates on coconut, the coco levy fund, and rice tariffication.

Ka Omie focused his talk on the series of events from the first pronouncement of the Supreme Court that the coconut levy funds are “owned by the government in trust for coconut farmers” – up to the current deliberations being undertaken in Congress on the proposed Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Bills. The latest deliberation was conducted on October 01, 2019, during the Joint Hearing by the Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform, and the Department of Finance, which was held in the Senate of the Philippines.

By: PCA XIV-BARMM