The Department of Agriculture (DA), in collaboration with the Nestle Philippines, have agreed to pursue the Mindanao Robusta coffee project that will allow farmers to gain entrepreneurial knowledge and increase their income.
The DA said the project will directly benefit Mindanao coffee growers who produce coffee as a single crop or intercrop it with coconuts and other suitable high-value commodities.
The desired outcome is an improvement in coffee farm management and entrepreneurial skills as the program involves the advancement of regenerative agricultural approaches that enhance production and yield of the green beans and increase farmer income.
Specifically, the DA through its high-value crops development program, provides support ensuring productivity and income of Robusta coffee growers of Mindanao, including the provision of farm inputs such as fertilizer, equipment for tree rehabilitation, postharvest facilities, capacity building initiatives and training.
The DA, under the agribusiness and marketing assistance service, will also provide market support, hauling and transport and the facilitation of business development services.
The agency will also establish an integrated coffee center in Sultan Kudarat as a venue for upskilling, equipped with processing and value-adding facilities, to serve as a hub for quality excellence and ensure the sustainable implementation of the project.
Nestle Philippines will pool a group of agronomists and technicians who serve as resource persons in a series of capacity-building training sessions of agricultural extension workers to ensure that farmers meet the applicable quality standard for coffee products.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show the country producing a total 21,384.80 metric tons (MT) of green Robusta coffee beans last year, 83.6 percent of which or 17,869.71 MT, were from Mindanao.
The PSA has no record of any Robusta dried coffee berry production in the country for the period.
