AGGIE TRENDS

Arabica coffee -- option to veggies
by Gen. Toledo

Arabica coffee is deemed to be a plausible source of income, making it potentially as big as the existing vegetable industry in the region, according to Presidential Assistant in the Cordillera Administrative Region Thomas Kilip during a meeting with the press last week.

With the altitude, soil condition and climate in the Cordilleras, coffee production is suited in the locality. It was compared to Brazil which is the largest coffee-producing country in the whole world. This was agreed upon by Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary Salvador Salacup when he consulted with stakeholders of Benguet at the National Irrigation Administration office on Sunday, February 23. The variety being produced here [Arabica tibica] was also compared to Brazil's Blue Mountain Coffee which is of a high end and export quality.

Being a major commodity, Filipinos consume about 75,000 metric tons of coffee every year where only 35,000 metric tons are produced locally, the rest, being imported from other countries like Brazil and Vietnam.

Though there had been existing coffee farms in almost all provinces of CAR, Benguet and Mt. Province having the largest of areas, demands are not met. At present, only 751.77 hectares of land is being used for cultivation of the crop.

With a potential expansion area of over 25,000 hectares and an average produce of 300 kg/hectare of coffee beans, farmers are being encouraged to produce locally grown Arabica for its viable marketability, both domestically and internationally.

"The price of coffee has spiraled dramatically. Two years ago," Kilip adds, "coffee beans were sold at P70 per kilogram. At present, a kilo is being sold at up to P180." He also cited that some companies in Metro Manila established partnership with growers from Mt. Province, purchasing their product at P600/kg.

Benguet State University has already taken lead on coffee production. Since 2004, the university has signed an agreement with Figaro Foundation Corporation and Figaro Coffee Company. The Memorandum of Agreement requires BSU to supply them with at least one metric ton of coffee ever crop production, which is annual. Figaro is also responsible for marketing the coffee in European countries.

Apart from this, Figaro has encouraged the university to have their organically produced crop be certified by the International Marketecology (IMO), which, BSU has attained last month [but was conveyed to the press only last week].

IMO is an agency responsible for ensuring the quality of eco-friendly products, organic agriculture, and management systems.