By Othel V. Campos
The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines is asking traders and producers of coconut products to integrate intellectual property protection into their export marketing strategies.
“IP protects the innovative, creative and brand value of products and services, making them a potential exclusive source of competitiveness for our exporters of coconut products,” said IPOPHL deputy director general Ann Claire Cabochan in a recent training program organized and held by the International Trade Centre and the Department of Trade and Industry in June.
The program allowed participants to learn from industry experts and gain best practices in seizing global opportunities, from assessing export readiness to developing and implementing a marketing campaign tailored to a country-market of interest.
Participants also joined a full-day training on IP organized in collaboration with IPOPHL.
The training discussed the international routes in filing trademarks and patents in foreign markets —the Madrid Protocol and the Patent Cooperation Treaty, respectively.
It also underscored the IP system as a vital tool in building the agrifood sector’s global competitiveness.
Cabochan said that “in the long run, protecting the IP rights of coconut industry players could bolster innovation, in line with the Marcos Administration’s goal of fast-tracking the implementation of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan.”
The CFIDP, which helps fulfill Republic Act 11524 or the Coconut Farmers and Industry Fund Act of 2021, seeks to harness the power of science and modern technologies, among others, as it hikes the country’s average annual coconut production to 150 nuts per tree — more than thrice the current output — and bring new opportunities to provide decent incomes to the 2.5 million coconut farmers in the country.
ARISE Plus Philippines, an EU-funded project that seeks to help businesses thrive globally by providing training and other resources, supported the project.
Through ARISE Plus, the DTI and the ITC will hold more training sessions in the latter half of 2023 to help the coconut sector learn international market requirements, techniques in negotiating with international buyers and the steps to participate in trade shows.