Cargill aids coconut farming in Leyte

Source：Cargill Release Date：2014-03-31 201

Food & Beverage

Another initiative from Cargill helps to build coconut farms and to train farmers on alternative sources of livelihood

CARGILL Philippines has pledged PhP 11 million (US$250 million) to help rehabilitate the coconut farming communities in Leyte affected by super-typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

The company has partnered with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) for this initiative, and will be assisted by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), Department of Agriculture, Visayas State University (VSU) - Villlaba Campus and the local government of Tabango, Leyte.

The project involves growing about 70,000 coconut seedlings a year for long-term coconut rehabilitation in the municipality of Tabango and nearby areas. With a target of restoring 600 hectares of coconut farms by 2016, some 150 hectares of farms will be rehabilitated in 2014, and rolled out over three times more at 150 hectares per cycle until 2016.

Whilst farmers wait for trees to bear fruit, they will be educated on other sources of livelihood. Two 5,000sqm² demonstration farms will be established to showcase integrated farming systems technologies like vegetable production, fish farming, and backyard poultry and livestock raising. Cargill will also help provide training on Integrated Farming Systems from PBSP’s Center for Rural Technology Development (CRTD) for some 400 farmer-beneficiaries.

Previously Cargill donated $500,000 in cash donations to victims of the super-typhoon.

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