Coconut agency to distribute salt fertilizer in Eastern Visayas

LEYTE, Philippines - The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) will distribute salt fertilizer to address the chlorine deficiency of soil and increase copra production in Eastern Visayas. Edilberto Nierva, PCA regional manager, said they will initially distribute 6,756 50-kilogram bags of salt fertilizer this month through the 52 coconut development officers in the region. The target is to increase copra yield in at least 1,500 hectares of coconut farms by 25%. Eastern Visayas ranks next to Davao region in terms of copra production, with average yield of 1.25 tons per hectare per year. Coconut trees are planted in 649,000 hectares of farms in the region. "We will prioritize inland farms, considering that coconut trees within coastal areas already have better yields," Mr. Nierva said in an interview. He said inland farms are chlorine-deficient. A PCA survey conducted nationwide showed that coconut palms from at least 40 coconut-producing provinces were severely chlorine-deficient. The Philippine Organic Agriculture Information Network explained on its Web site that coconut fertilization using sodium chloride or salt as chlorine source is a practical means of increasing coconut production in chlorine-deficient areas. - S. Q. Meniano, BusinessWorld