THE Philippines has shipped 32,000 fresh young coconuts as a donation to Liberia while exploring export opportunities in West Africa, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Thursday.
The shipment was arranged with Davao City-based Abante Agri-Products Philippines Inc., with support from the DA Regional Field Office 11’s Agricultural Marketing Assistance Division and the Philippine Coconut Authority Region 11.
It comprised two container loads weighing an estimated 50 metric tons, with a combined free-on-board value of $22,400. Each container carried 16,000 green coconuts packed in 800 sacks.
The shipment is being facilitated through Liberia’s Ministry of Agriculture. Shipping company CMA CGM is using its Smart Reefer Container technology to help preserve the coconuts’ quality during transit.
The coconuts will be given to rural communities in Liberia to support feeding programs and household needs.
“The challenge is to turn these initial shipments into sustained demand that delivers better returns to our farmers and strengthens the Philippine coconut industry,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
The initiative forms part of the DA’s efforts to diversify export destinations for coconut products, the country’s leading agricultural export, and raise farmer incomes through access to higher-value markets.
Philippine coconut exports rose 34.4 percent to $3.6 billion in 2025, according to the Department of Trade and Industry.