The Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) Regional Project Coordination Office CALABARZON turned over Php 14.3 million worth of enterprise subprojects to coffee and cacao farmer and processor groups in Quezon.

The subprojects were the Guinayangan Coffee Processing, turned over to the Guinayangan Coffee Growers Association and Farm Entrepreneurs (G-CAFÉ), and the Lopez Tablea Production received by the Cacao Growers Association of Lopez (CGAL). Both groups received a processing facility and van. Meanwhile, CGAL also received cacao processing equipment, such as a desheller and a chiller.

During the turnover ceremony, both groups expressed their gratefulness to the DA-PRDP and the provincial government of Quezon for the interventions they received.

“Nagpapasalamat kami sa DA-PRDP at sa pamahalaan ng Quezon dahil ang pangarap naming magkaroon ng sariling lugar para iproseso ang kapeng Guinayangan ay nagkatotoo na. Mas mapapaganda pa namin ang kalidad ng aming produkto di tulad noon na sa iba’t ibang lugar pa ipinoproseso ang aming kape (We thank the DA-PRDP and the provincial government of Quezon for helping us realize our dream of having our own facility for processing Guinayangan coffee. Now that we have a controlled environment for processing, we can further improve the quality of our product, unlike before when we had to transfer our coffee from one place to another just to process it),” said Raquel de Luna, president of the G-CAFE.

The subprojects aimed to improve and develop the coffee and cacao industry in the localities through processing which will increase the value of harvested coffee and cacao, provide a sure market for local farmers, and provide additional economic opportunities and sources of income to farmers and residents.

“Kapalit ng mga suportang aming natanggap ay ang aming pagsisikap na pagandahin pa at pagyamanin ang aming pagproproseso ng cacao dito sa Lopez. Mas paghuhusayin pa namin upang ganap na makilala at tangkilikin itong aming produktong tsokolate (To pay forward the support we received, we, the members of CGAL vow to do our very best to further improve and continuously evolve our cacao processing here in Lopez. We will work harder to make our chocolate products more well-known and patronized even by people outside our locality),” shared Bernardo Cantuba, president of the CGAL.

DA-PRDP RPCO Deputy Project Director Engr. Redelliza Gruezo assured the proponent groups that the DA-PRDP RPCO and the DA, particularly the High-Value Crops Development Program,will continue to support improving and enriching the cacao and coffee plantations in Quezon to sustain these enterprise interventions.

Also, present at the event were Quezon Governor Dra. Helen Tan, Quezon’s fourth district representative Atty. Mike Tan, Lopez Mayor Rachel Ubana, and former Guinayangan Mayor Cesar J. Isaac III. ###

With a facility to store their equipment and raw materials, members of the CGAL are now more organized in their cacao processing operations helping them to focus more on the quality of their processing and their products. (Photo by Elijah Ocial)

Hauling of raw materials for the G-CAFÉ has become more convenient through the van they received from the DA-PRDP enterprise subproject as this can pick up more loads than motorcycles and tricycles that they were formerly using. (Photo by Myrelle Joy Bejasa)

Members of the G-CAFÉ can now properly monitor and maintain the quality of their coffee now that they have a controlled environment to process and package their products, unlike before where they have to move the coffee from one place to another. (Photo by Myrelle Joy Bejasa)

A sense of pride and excitement are evident among G-CAFÉ president Raquel De Luna, Quezon Governor Dr. Helen Tan, and DA-PRDP RPCO CALABARZON Deputy Project Director Engr. Redelliza Gruezo as they reap the results of their hardwork and cooperation, the formal opening of the first ever major coffee processing facility in Guinayangan, Quezon. (Photo by Myrelle Joy Bejasa)

For Minerva Segui, secretary of the CGAL, and her fellow members, the interventions of the DA-PRDP for their livelihood in coffee processing have renewed their passion and enthusiasm to continue, promote their products, and explore learnings and opportunities to further improve the production and processing of cacao in their locality. (Photo by Myrelle Joy Bejasa)

Excitement filled the first-ever coffee processing facility in Guinayangan, Quezon after being turned over to the Guinayangan Coffee Growers Association and Farm Entrepreneurs by the DA PRDP RPCO CALABARZON and the provincial government of Quezon as this signals the further growth and development of the local coffee industry in Guinayangan. (Photo by Myrelle Joy Bejasa)

A sweeter future awaits the members of the Cacao Growers Association of Lopez after formally receiving a cacao processing facility, van, and processing equipment from the DA-PRDP and the provincial government of Quezon that will help them expand their production and further develop the taste of their cacao products. (Photo by Myrelle Joy Bejasa)

Members of the CGAL now have more control of their cacao processing operations and quality of their products with the help of the processing equipment and tools they received from the DA-PRDP enterprise subproject. (Photo by Elijah Ocial)