The opening day of the Training on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for Coconut Production (Batch 3) was successfully launched on April 6, 2026, at the Habi Hotel in the City of Koronadal, South Cotabato. This specialized training serves as a focused intervention to upgrade the technical management skills of coconut farmers hailing from the neighboring province of Sultan Kudarat. By aligning local agricultural workflows with regional and national quality standards, the program aims to systematically drive farm productivity and secure better market opportunities for the participants.
The initial sessions established a foundational understanding of the macro trends and strict regulatory frameworks governing the modern coconut industry. Technical Staff Normuhaymin B. Arsad of the Agricultural Training Institute XII delivered a comprehensive overview of the coconut sector's status within the Philippines and Region XII, mapping out prevailing market opportunities alongside systemic production challenges. He emphasized that proper technical capacity building is the primary mechanism for farmers to improve their overall yield and output quality.
The afternoon session transitioned into regulatory standards, led by DA-RFO XII Agriculturist II Aiza Mae N. Godornes, who focused on the explicit parameters of GAP Certification. Her lecture detailed how strict adherence to food safety, environmental sustainability, and quality standards directly translates to increased market competitiveness, underscoring that compliance acts as a gateway for local farmers to access premium supply chains and elevate the commercial value of their coconut products.
This multi-day training program represents an ongoing, collaborative effort to modernize the agricultural landscape of SOCCSKSARGEN. By equipping Sultan Kudarat’s farmers with both data-driven economic insights and practical compliance strategies, the institute ensures that local producers can transition from traditional methods to a standardized, business-oriented approach to coconut farming.
