The Department of Agriculture-Davao Region (DA-Davao), in coordination with the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAGRO), formally handed over the P8 million worth of coffee community-based enterprise or processing facility to the New Leyte Agriculture Cooperative (NLAC), that will aid in the production, processing, marketing, and distribution of their coffee.
The said project was made possible under the High-Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) of DA-Davao, through the insertion funds from the office of Sen. Cynthia Villar. The project components include the construction of a one-unit coffee processing facility; a one-unit coffee dryer; and a set of coffee processing equipment such as a coffee roasting machine, grinder, depulper, dehuller, weighing scale, and moisture meter. The project also comes with the provision of 760 bags of fertilizer and a capability building for the cooperative.
NLAC Chairman Jorge Omictin, in his message, extends his appreciation to the government as the enterprise will help in the consolidation of all coffee beans in Masara line areas, which will later stimulate and increase coffee production in the province. The aforementioned facilities and equipment will minimize the overall production time and cost and remove roadblocks to their production completion; thus helping farmers, especially the small coffee farmers, increase the value of their green coffee beans while providing a high profit in return.
During the program, Delio Cezar, a coffee MSME, received recognition for his significant contributions to the province's coffee industry as he was one of the entrants in the Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC) held at Waterfront Insular Hotel, Davao City last March 18, 2022. As a result, he represented the Philippines during the Specialty Coffee Expo in Boston, Massachusetts, USA last April 8 to 10, 2022. DAVORO PIO