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๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ก๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜€, ๐—œ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜€ ๐—ก๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ฒ---The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), DOST 1 - Department of Science and Technology Regional Office No. 1,and the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte have formalized a landmark collaboration to boost the coconut and salt industries through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under the One Accelerating Salt Innovations (OneASIN) program on November 21, 2024.

This partnership, hailed as a pivotal stride for agricultural innovation, integrates the salt industry into PCAโ€™s Coconut Fertilization Project and their mutual benefits to agriculture and local communities, leveraging salt as an essential natural fertilizer to improve coconut yields. The collaboration ensures a sustainable market for locally produced salt while boosting the livelihoods of coconut and salt farmers in the region.

PCA Administrator Dr. Dexter R. Buted, Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew J. Marcos Manotoc, and DOST-1 Regional Director Dr. Teresita Tabaog underscored the importance of this partnership in their respective messages.

Dr. Buted hailed the agreement as a โ€œ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘“๐‘–๐‘›๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘ฆโ€ between two essential pillars of Philippine agriculture. โ€œ๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘”โ„Ž ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก๐‘›๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘, ๐‘ค๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘–๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘Ž๐‘› ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™๐‘–๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ก ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘™๐‘ฆ ๐‘โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘”๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘ ๐‘œ ๐‘ข๐‘๐‘™๐‘–๐‘“๐‘ก ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘š๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘’๐‘ ,โ€ ADRB said.

He further streamlined the critical role of salt as a natural fertilizer in PCAโ€™s Coconut Fertilization Project, a nationwide initiative aimed at enhancing the productivity and sustainability of coconut farms.

Under the MOU, the PCA commits to sourcing Agricultural Grade Salt Fertilizer (AGSF) from Ilocos Norteโ€™s salt producers empowered by the OneASIN program. The initiative aligns with the PCAโ€™s twin project of fertilization and replanting, aiming to revitalize coconut plantations while invigorating the local salt industry by providing salt farmers with a steady market while ensuring the availability of fertilizers for coconut growers.

Governor Manotoc expressed his gratitude for the collaboration, highlighting its alignment with the provinceโ€™s goals of economic empowerment and sustainable development. While Dr. Tabaog, the driving force behind OneASIN, underscored the programโ€™s focus on innovation and collaboration

The event also featured technology presentations showcasing innovations in salt production, including advanced methods for sea salt processing, stationary cooking facilities for cooked salt, and techniques to ensure compliance with food safety standards. These technologies aim to modernize the industry, improve efficiency, and enhance the quality of locally produced salt.

The MOU complements other initiatives under the OneASIN program, including the establishment of SALT Hubs in Burgos and Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte. These hubs will serve as centers for research, training, and the production of value-added salt products, furthering the regionโ€™s goal of becoming a leader in sustainable salt production.

The PCA chief recounted the Authorityโ€™s earlier agreement with Pangasinan, which facilitated the distribution of 4,180 bags of AGSF, setting a precedent for regional collaborations. He also invited stakeholders to the upcoming Philippine Salt Congress in December, hosted by Pangasinan State University, to further discuss innovations and strategies for the industry.

โ€œ๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘€๐‘‚๐‘ˆ ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘“๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘“๐‘ข๐‘ก๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘”๐‘’๐‘›๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘ . ๐ผ๐‘ก ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘š๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘š๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘ฃ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ฃ๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›, ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฃ๐‘’ โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘”๐‘’, ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘–๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘Ž ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘™๐‘–๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘”๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘ก๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ,โ€ he affirmed.

The inked partnership PCA, DOST-1, and Ilocos Norte demonstrates the whole-of-nation approach in action, harnessing the collective strengths of government, science, and community to achieve shared goals. As the coconut and salt industries grow hand in hand, this initiative sets a benchmark for innovation-driven, sustainable, and inclusive agricultural development in the country.

*๐˜ด๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ค๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜–๐˜ง๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ช๐˜ข๐˜ญ ๐˜๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฌ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ข๐˜จ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜‹๐˜–๐˜š๐˜›-๐˜™๐˜ฆ๐˜จ๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ญ ๐˜–๐˜ง๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ฆ ๐˜

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