Catherine Buenaventura of the Provincial Agriculture Office said this is one of the medium term visions of the provincial government to boost its economy. “We envision the province to be the largest coffee brewer/processors in the country,” said Buenaventura.
She added the revival of the coffee industry was initiated by the present administration after a lull since the first Ifugao Coffee Congress was held in 1999.
“The present administration created the Ifugao Coffee Production and Development Council to ensure the coordination and effective implementation of coffee development policies, laws programs and services of the province. The council will also act as an inter-agency body in the planning, implementing and monitoring,” she said.
“With the objective of developing the coffee industry into a major industry with economy scale here, the provincial government will promote and continually upgrade and enhance its production base,” Buenaventura said.
The Provincial Government, through the provincial agriculturist’s office, will provide adequate policy and linkage support to various producer groups and in institutionalizing a well-oriented system of support.
Buenaventura added the local agriculture offices would maintain municipal and provincial nurseries and be the center for assistance and promotion of coffee farming. Various assistance in the form of advocacy and information education campaign providing coffee post-harvest facilities program would also be taken cared of by their office.
She also disclosed that major activities of the agriculturist’s office in connection to this program include the distribution and planting of Arabica coffee seedlings to interested farmers, establishment of model coffee-based sustainable farming in every municipality and propagation of Arabica for higher elevations and Liberica and Robusta seedlings for lower elevations in nurseries province-wide in cooperation with the municipal government with increased targets for the next two years and rejuvenation of existing old coffee trees.
Buenaventura said their office is promoting Arabica in upland Ifugao because of the following reasons: it thrives well in high elevation like Ifugao, its aroma becomes more fragrant when produced in cooler places, it is already tested that it can thrive in the province and it commands the highest price of coffee in the market.
