Agri department helps revive region’s coffee industry

Saturday, February 11, 2012

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) in Cordillera is now moving to help revive the coffee industry in the region and in the country.

Being one of the top producers of quality coffee in the country, Cordillera needs to step forward and increase its production to meet the growing demands of the market.

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Latest records of the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS –CAR) showed increased in coffee production for 2011 at .34 percent. From 5,608.13 in 2010, coffee production in the region grew to 5,627.13 in 2011 with Kalinga (3,857.20 metric tons) as the top producer followed by Ifugao (1,053.81 mt), Benguet (486.55 mt), Mountain Province (162.15 mt), Abra (54.05 mt) and Apayao (13.37).

Large bulk of the production is Robusta variety which is mostly grown in warmer areas such as Kalinga and Ifugao. Coffee Arabica, on the other hand, is grown suitably in temperate and mountainous terrain areas like Benguet, thus majority of Arabica production is derived here. Other varieties include Liberica and Excelsa which is grown in limited quantity.

However, the increase in production last year is still not enough to sustain the needs of the market. Therefore, the DA is furthering its efforts in promoting the production of coffee, not only for local consumption but as well as for export.

Gabriel Falag-ey, regional focal person for coffee, said they intend to increase production of coffee especially the Arabica variety which is highly demanded in the market. Moreover, coffee Arabica is twice more expensive than robusta.

While coffee is second to oil as the most heavily traded commodity in the world, it can be recalled that low production of coffee in the previous years hampered the competitiveness of the country in trading coffee in the global market.

Falag-ey said interventions for coffee production in the region this year include small-scale irrigation systems, post-harvest facilities, processing equipments, technical and training assistance to help farmers ease farm work and produce quality coffee beans.

Moreover, DA is planning to partner with private sectors to further promote coffee and find market linkages. They are also looking forward to expanding the areas for coffee production to meet the increasing demand of the consumers.

Falag-ey also mentioned promoting agroforestry in the region where coffee trees could also serve as alternative planting materials aside from bamboos and trees. This is in support to climate change adaption and mitigation measures being pushed by the current administration. Such effort is seen to help in preventing soil erosion especially here in the highlands.

With the growing demand of coffee in the local and global market, coffee industry is seen to be potential contributor to the economy.

Drinking coffee has become a tradition of every Filipino just as to other countries. Coffee is branded to be the most famous beverage in the world. Aside from its economic importance, coffee is known to be beneficial to the health when taken in moderation.

Coffee is rich source of anti-oxidants that is linked with fighting heart disease and cancer. It is also rich in polyphenols which are valuable nutrients that help keep your body in good health over time.

Currently, the Philippines ranked 76th in the world in terms of coffee production, a very far cry from its third ranking two decades ago. But if the government and all the stakeholders will join hands to revive the coffee industry in the country, it won’t take long for Philippines to get back on its feet. (Crislyn Fianza Balangen)