SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique - Coconut farmers in the town of Hamtic received a total of PHP207,500 incentive under the cash-for-work program of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) on Wednesday.

Each of the 166 coconut farmers received PHP1,250 for the 50 coconut seedlings that they planted four to six years ago and are now in their fruit-bearing stage.

"The cash-for-work is a form of incentive for farmers that have now fruit-bearing trees," Dionelo Jamora-Ongga, PCA Antique senior agriculturist, said in an interview on Thursday.

The cash-for-work is still part of the "Yolanda" Rehabilitation and Recovery Program as an incentive to farmers who devoted their farms to coconut planting.

Typhoon Yolanda hit the province in November 2013 but the incentive was released when the coconuts were now fruit-bearing.

In March, fertilizers were distributed in Hamtic and 12 other towns of the province where there are plantations of coconut trees.

Around 4,884 bags of multi-nutrient fertilizers were distributed in Anini-y, Barbaza, Bugasong, Caluya, Laua-an, Libertad, Pandan, Patnongon, San Remigio, Sebaste, Tobias Fornier, and Sibalom.

Antique has around 12,000 coconut farmers. (PNA)