WHAT began as a struggling group of farmers selling raw coconuts for a little profit has grown into a cooperative producing dozens of value-added products — and steady income for its members.
The Loon Small Coconut Farmers Agriculture Cooperative, based in the town of Loon in Bohol, is led by 59-year-old Ma. Reina Perez, who stepped into leadership after moving to the province for what she thought would be a quiet retirement.
When Perez moved to Bohol with her husband, a native of the province, she envisioned a quiet retirement after 35 years in the corporate world. Instead, she found herself leading a struggling cooperative in need of direction.
“They were complaining there was no support,” Perez said. “I didn’t want to manage people anymore, but no one was leading them.”
Established in November 2022, the cooperative existed largely on paper. Farmers sold raw coconuts for little profit and doubted their ability to produce higher-value goods. Perez stepped in not for authority, but because she could not ignore the farmers’ situation.
She helped members define goals, assign responsibilities and track costs. Slowly, coconuts became more than crops — they became products.
From an initial 16 members, the cooperative grew to 64, producing 42 coconut-based items, including oil, soap, vinegar and food products.
The cooperative’s structure sets it apart from traditional farming groups. Instead of pooling all profits, Perez treats members as individual entrepreneurs. Members are organized into five clusters, each focused on a specific product to prevent competition within the group.
Farmers earn income in two ways: from sales of their own products and from cluster work, where they receive wages and profit shares. Some members now earn P13,000 a month from part-time work, while others make more than P20,000.
“That money can buy rice and daily needs,” Perez said.
The cooperative keeps only 5 percent of sales from individual and cluster products — enough to fund operations, training and shared growth without burdening members.
From farmers to agripreneurs
Members were trained to compute production costs per milliliter or gram, enabling them to price products accurately.
“They know ‘yung threshold nila, especially for bulk orders and retail. Alam nila kung ilan dapat ibaba. Hindi na sila maloko (They know how much they can lower prices. They won’t be fooled anymore),” Perez said.
Aside from added income, members save money by producing household essentials themselves. They no longer buy soap, vinegar, coconut oil or condiments — they make them.
“Malaking katipiran sa part ng aming farmer (That is a huge savings for our farmers),” Perez said. “That’s why we’re proud of them.”
The cooperative’s success has attracted an unexpected group: young people. Children of farmers who once viewed agriculture as unprofitable are now joining after seeing its income potential.
“Nakita ng mga anak nila na ang agriculture, ang farming may income (Their children saw that agriculture, that farming, has income),” Perez said.
These younger members now handle packaging, processing and product promotion at bazaars and trade fairs, bringing new energy to an aging farming sector.
Based in Loon town, the cooperative focuses on coconut farming while practicing intercropping with cacao and ube to support long-term sustainability.
Perez credited government agencies, including the Cooperative Development Authority, for providing training and guidance.
“All agencies, wala kaming problema (We’ve had no problems with agencies). It’s just that we’re a very young cooperative,” Perez said.
What began as an unplanned responsibility became a shared journey — farmers learning to stand on their own, and a woman discovering that purpose does not retire.
In Loon, coconuts are no longer just harvested. They are turned into livelihoods.PIA
***Reshaping the future of the Filipino coconut farmer
For decades, the coconut palm has been dubbed the “Tree of Life,” yet for the 2.5 million Filipino farmers who tend to it, life has often been a cycle of poverty and uncertainty.
Despite the Philippines being one of the world’s top coconut producers, the industry has long been hampered by aging trees, low productivity and a reliance on low-value copra.
The Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP) serves as the nation’s ambitious blueprint to break this cycle. Launched under the mandate of Republic Act 11524, or the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act, the plan is more than just a government program; it is a multibillion-peso “re-rooting” of an entire sector.
At the heart of the CFIDP is a shift in perspective: moving the farmer from being a mere harvester to an “agripreneur.”
The plan breaks down historical barriers by providing direct social protection. Through the Philippine Coconut Authority and various partner agencies, farmers now have access to health insurance, crop insurance and specialized scholarships for their children.
But social safety nets are only half the battle. To increase income, the CFIDP promotes “integrated farming.” Instead of relying solely on coconuts, farmers are encouraged to engage in intercropping — planting coffee, cacao or bananas beneath the palms — and raising livestock. This diversification ensures that a farmer’s livelihood is not wiped out by a single bad harvest or a drop in global copra prices.
The CFIDP also aims to modernize the “mid-stream” of the industry. By establishing shared processing facilities, the plan allows farmers’ cooperatives to produce high-value products like Virgin coconut oil, coconut water and coco-flour.
This industrialization is crucial for economic sovereignty. By processing the “Green Gold” locally, the added value stays in the hands of the community rather than being exported as raw material and sold back to the Philippines as expensive imports.
A legacy of growth
The challenge of the CFIDP lies in its implementation across 69 coconut-producing provinces. However, with a dedicated trust fund and a clear roadmap, the goal is to increase the average farm income by at least 15 percent to 20 percent in the coming years.
The CFIDP is a testament to the idea that for the “Tree of Life” to truly flourish, its roots — the farmers — must be nourished first. As the plan enters its next phase of implementation in 2026, the vision is clear: a modernized, competitive and sustainable coconut industry that finally delivers on its promise of prosperity for every Filipino farmer.