THE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said coconut exporters could be made more competitive with intellectual property (IP) protections.
“IP protections (safeguard) the innovations and brand value of products and services, making them a potential exclusive source of competitiveness for our exporters of coconut products,” IPOPHL Deputy Director General Ann Claire C. Cabochan said.
She was speaking at a recent training program organized by the International Trade Center and the Department of Trade and Industry.
Such protections, in turn, could spur innovation just as the government is rolling out the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP).
The CFIDP hopes to raise average annual yields to 150 nuts per tree while raising incomes for 2.5 million coconut farmers.
The CFIDP is authorized by Republic Act 11524, or the Coconut Farmers and Industry Fund Act of 2021. The law placed coconut levy assets into a trust fund that will bankroll the rehabilitation and modernization of the industry. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave