Kalinga coffee industry gaining headway

AGGIE UPDATES

By Peter A. Balocnit

TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- The coffee industry of the province is gaining headway with   support  from both government and the private sector, according to the Provincial Coffee Council.

This province benefited from series of promotional and upgrading interventions through convergent programs, projects and activities being pushed by the economic sector of the Provincial Development Council.

Several stakeholders were involved in the implementation of various PPAs particularly in infrastructure build-up, direction setting and capacity enhancement, reforestation and agro-forestry development, formation of provincial and municipal councils, research and development to coffee rejuvenation, continuous advocacy on coffee development, and private coffee stakeholders own funding.

Grace Baluyan, provincial director of the Department of Trade and Industry and PDC vice chairman, said that the medium term Kalinga Coffee Industry Cluster Plan (2015-2017) will now become the engine of growth of the coffee industry.

In 2012, Kalinga has a total production area of 7,449 hectares and total production of 2,235 metric tons in a year. Tanudan municipality has the highest in area of 3,957 hectares and a corresponding yield of 1,187 metric tons or 50 percent of the total harvest during that given year.  Kalinga was once among the top producers of coffee in the country in the 1970s to 1980s.

It is at present ranked 7th among the coffee-producing provinces nationwide,  and the top producer of  Robusta coffee in the Cordillera region.

Domingo Bakilan, provincial agriculturist and PCC vice co-chairman, said coffee is next to oil in the world market so the need to expand coffee plantations and boost the production of coffee in the province.