LISTED food manufacturer Century Pacific Food, Inc. (CNPF) has committed to donating one million coconut seedlings to smallholder farmers in the Philippines over the next five years as part of efforts to replace aging coconut trees and improve farm productivity.
The company said in a statement on Tuesday that the commitment, made through its Coco Mama brand, forms part of its Save Our Coconuts program, which will be implemented in partnership with impact organization HOPE.
CNPF said Vita Coco, one of its longtime export customers, has separately pledged another one million coconut seedlings, bringing their combined commitment to two million.
CNPF Emerging Brands General Manager Bryan Lingan said the initiative aims to address declining coconut yields and the limited resources available to smallholder farmers.
“By donating and planting 1 million quality seedlings, we hope to build a more resilient coconut supply chain where farming communities, the environment, and the business can mutually benefit and thrive,” he said.
The latest pledge marks CNPF’s second commitment to provide one million coconut seedlings.
In 2022, the company partnered with GCash and HOPE to donate and plant one million seedlings to support the local coconut industry and farmers’ livelihoods.
Under the new program, Coco Mama will also work with HOPE to provide farmer education and improve access to markets.
HOPE Managing Director Ilusion Farias said the organization would continue its partnership with CNPF to support smallholder coconut farmers.
“From CNPF’s first million and now onto the next million trees, what keeps us going are the smallholder farmers whose lives we get to touch,” Ms. Farias said.
Vita Coco’s separate commitment forms part of its Seedlings for Sustainability program, which aims to distribute and plant up to 10 million coconut trees worldwide by 2030.
CNPF launched Coco Mama in 2019 as part of its entry into the packaged coconut cream market.
The company’s consumer brands include Century Tuna, Argentina, 555, Ligo, and Birch Tree. It also supplies private-label tuna and coconut products to export markets.
Shares in CNPF fell by 2.42% to close at P30.30 apiece on Tuesday. — Alexandria Grace C. Magno