Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Nestle backs coffee-based sustainable farming system
TURN that coffee plantations into multiple-crop producing farms. Erstwhile idle rows in between coffee trees, if used adequately, could become another gold mine for farmers growing the crop.
No less than industry giant Nestle Philippines Inc. has urged on farmers to adopt the strategy they pushed, called "Coffee-Based Sustainable Farming System."
"It is the key to a sustainable coffee farming enterprise of the future," said Glicerio Lumagbas, Nestle assistant vice president and head of the company's agricultural services department.
Lumagbas said the company is willing to provide technical assistance to coffee farmers interested to adopt the system designed to increase the income of coffee growers.
In fact, Nestle's agricultural services department has established a training center for CBSFS at the firm's experimental and demonstration farm in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.
In Luzon, the firm has tapped Cavite State University for the coffee-based sustainable farming program while the municipality of Amadeo, also in Cavite, has been conducting farm tours to promote the system.
Under the system Nestle, other crops are inter-cropped with coffee to provide additional income to the farmer or provide alternative income when the price of coffee drops.
"This farming system widens the income base of the farmer and gives him the option to wait for the best time to sell his coffee," Lumagbas said.
The farmer could choose to plant legumes, root crops, vegetables, and other fruit trees.
Legumes recommended by the firm include peanuts, mungo beans, white beans, string beans, and cowpeas.
For root crops, farmers could cultivate gabi, ube or sweet potato in between rows of coffee plants.
Eggplant, tomato, lettuce, okra, sweet pepper, bell pepper, black pepper, pechay, upland kangkong, ampalaya, spring onions, and cabbage are some of the vegetables that could be planted at the coffee farm.
"As a rule, plant only crops that have a ready market within your locality or contact the nearest Department of Trade and Industry office for possible linkages with wholesale buyers or processors," Lumagabs advised farmers.
He stressed the decision on what companion crop to plant should be market driven to ensure a fair return on investment.
Lumagbas however noted that there is now a high-income companion crop for coffee in the form of Jatropha curcas, a bio-fuel oil plant.
"Jatropha is an ideal companion crop because one planting will last for 50 years. It has immediate uses as fuel for lighting, cooking, and soap making. Its more important potential use is for processing into diesel fuel for engine," he added.
For a maximum of only P20,000, Lumagbas said, farmers could already plant 1,000 Jatropha plants in between coffee rows.
In terms of yield, Jatropha could potentially earn for the farmer just a meager P2,500, but this only for the first year after planting as initial harvest will be at least 250 kilograms per hectare.
But on the second year, the income per hectare would grow to P10,000 at P10 per kilo; P30,000 in the fourth year; and P60,000 for the sixth year, as per company projections.
Based on his explanation, the yield per hectare for Jatropha goes up as years drag on. (RBS)
(January 2, 2006 issue)
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