PCA Negros Oriental hosted its first Provincial Coconut Industry Stakeholder's Forum earlier this afternoon, October 15, 2020 via Zoom.

PCA Negros Oriental’s coconut industry stakeholders’ forum via Zoom held on October 15, 2020

The conference was attended by farmer leaders, SCFOs, processors, as well as representatives from the academe, LGUs and other partner government agencies. Acting PCA Negros Oriental Provincial Manager Hamlet Tomaroy, in his opening remarks, stated that this stakeholder's forum will be a marketplace of ideas for the coconut industry and this is the venue wherein past mistakes shall be corrected by consulting and involving the stakeholders in the creation of plans and programs.

Acting PCA VII Regional Manager Brendan Trasmonte highlighted during his rationale the importance of the creation of the Coconut Industry Stakeholder's Group in order to collaborate and materialize the plans and goals for a more progressive and transformative coconut industry. He also emphasized the importance of the PCA Transformation Roadmap and its purpose of driving the coconut industry towards a market-driven one.

PDO IV Aurora Paquibot presented the current programs and projects implemented by PCA VII, as well as the current status of the coconut industry in the province. An open forum was also held to listen to the concerns and suggestions of the participants. Finally, it was decided by the body that another provincial forum will be conducted in the last week of October 2020. ### (PCA VII)