Another destructive pest

There is a new coconut pest that threatens to ravage the already ailing local  coconut industry. It’s called Brontispa longgissima, a beetle, flat and slender and feeds on soft tissues of coconut fronds, which is lethal  enough for a coconut tree. The beetle entered the country via ornamental palms imported from Malaysia and Thailand in 2005.

The problem apparently is getting to be a real menace, warranting even a privilege speech by Senator Edgardo Angara, a former secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA), and now chairman of the Senate committee on agriculture.

He warned recently that radical measures have to be implemented immediately. If not, it could lead to the untimely demise of the P40-billion industry in just three years given the rate at which the infestation is spreading. Of the 68 coconut-producing provinces, 25 provinces with over 171,000 coconut trees are already suffering from the malady.

Angara’s speech prompted the issuance of Executive Order 664 by President Arroyo which sought to establish measures to control and eradicate the spread and damage of the coconut pest.

Four-pronged program

The DA has already tapped local government units and law enforcers in mounting a comprehensive four-pronged program that aims to complement ongoing efforts by the latter and lead agency, the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).

The program calls for a slew of measures, among them: mapping coconut-producing areas to determine the total extent of the Brontispa infestation; rolling out inoculation protocols and procedures to swiftly address the problem in infested sites and insulate uninfected areas from the pest; an information and education campaign to educate coconut growers on how to contain and eradicate the pest; and a livelihood component to compensate for the losses of farmers.

The Bureau of Plant Industry has put under quarantine the 25 provinces affected by the pest, while the DA banned imports of palm seed nuts and seedlings from over two dozen countries with reported Brontispa infestations.

PCA administrator Oscar Garin said the agency has developed an inexpensive chemical treatment for Brontispa-infested plants, which costs only P5 to P7 per tree. It involves injecting chemicals into trunks of severely infected trees. So far, PCA already treated more than 70,000 infected coconut trees.

As a biological measure, the PCA will rear one million “black earwigs,” an endemic biological predator of the Brontispa longgissima, to be released to infested coconut trees nationwide. The mechanical control involves cutting and burning of young infested frond, since it only takes one month to grow new fronds.

Angara said that under the nearly P26 billion proposed 2008 budget of the DA, an appropriate amount  should be set aside to eradicate the pest.

The government, this time it seems, is rather quick to pinpoint and act on the problem. What it needs now though is to be vigilant in implementing these measures, especially quarantine requirements, to ensure that the ban is enforced. More often than not, the complacency and laxity in imposing such measures is what have caused the problem to surface in the first place.

Funds for replanting needed

The Philippines is the world’s biggest exporter of coconut products, particularly coconut oil, accounting for 59 percent of the global market. In the seven months to July, the value of coconut exports barely changed at $448.7 million. Coconut production this year is expected to be flat at 2.4 million metric tons due to damage brought by typhoons that ravaged several major coconut-producing provinces last year.

In dealing with such a problem, it would be an opportune time for the PCA to push for its more comprehensive coconut replanting and coconut farm rehabilitation agenda. For years, the agency has been pushing for the program, but unfortunately, it has not been getting the funding support it so badly needs to bring the productivity level of coconut plantations to their peak more than 10 years ago.

The Brontispa beetle infestation should be considered as just a sliver of the bigger problem threatening the coconut industry nationwide.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) noted that there has been little replanting in  recent years in coconut-producing countries like the Philippines, and that there is likely to be a decline in the production capacity of trees in the next 10 to 15 years.

The last major replanting program was in 1992 when the World Bank funded the PCA-initiated program. The FAO stressed that although market studies by the World Bank and the Philippine government have shown that the future demand for coconut products– both for industrial uses and as edible oil – is good, this will hinge largely on the Philippines since it is the dominant exporter.

Assuring stable supply

Prospects for the industry will continue to be bright for as long as supply is stable. In other words, forget about end-users hanging on to unreasonable prices: they could just make long-term investment decisions in favor of cheaper substitutes.

The Philippines, being the world’s largest coconut oil producer can easily maintain, and even increase its share of coconut oil for both edible vegetable oil and non-edible markets if it can assure its customers of reliable and efficient supply.

The government therefore should view the current Brontispa problem in a larger perspective. Stop-gap measures should only be a part of the longer-term solution to improve the productivity of the local coconut industry, and its farmers.

Fil-Oil / Flying V Philippine Collegiate Champion Cup

For this year’s Collegiate Champions League (CCL) competitions, the Fil-Oil Flying V Sports group headed by Virgil Villavicencio has put up the prizes to be awarded to the Final Four. These include scholarships and athletic facilities funding in the total amount of P850,000.

The school represented by the champion team shall receive the prestigious “Fil-Oil Flying V Philippine National Collegiate Champion Cup” and P500,000 worth of scholarships and athletic equipment funding. The  runner-up, third and fourth placers shall receive funds in the amount of P200,000, P100,000 and P50,000, respectively.

According to Virgil Villavicencio, the above prizes are merely icing on the cake.

 Surviving the tough knock-out competition among champion teams from the major  leagues in the country and being tagged as the “Champion of the Champions” is the highest goal a collegiate team should aspire for.

The CCL competitions shall start on the 10th of November 2007. All the exciting games will be covered by Solar Entertainment. Watch for it.

“Pag-usapan Natin” at IBC-TV 13

Watch “Pag-usapan Natin,” a segment of the IBC-TV 13 news program News Tonite, from 10:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. (Mondays to Fridays) as we discuss issues that have relevance to our  everyday living. Viewers may send their comments to Sunshine Television c/o  Valle Verde Country Club, Pasig  City.    

Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25th Floor, 139 Corporate Center, Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at [email protected].