With awards garnered from the “Philippine Coffee Quality Competition 2022”, the star is rising for Mindanao’s coffee. 

As farmers from the province of Davao del Sur, Sultan Kudarat, and Bukidnon gain recognition and awards for their coffee, PRDP continues to pour support to “up the Mindanao cup” for coffee producers in these provinces through their enterprise subprojects and technical support on coffee production and marketing.

To date, the Department of Agriculture Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) has a total of seven coffee subprojects in their portfolio: two coffee subprojects in Region 10 with the “Coffee Processing and Marketing Enterprise” in Maramag and “Arabica Coffee Processing, Consolidation and Marketing” enterprise in Bukidnon; two in  Region 12 with the “Enhancement of Production and Marketing of Dried Green Coffee Beans” in Tupi South Cotabato, and the  “Production and Marketing of Green Coffee Beans” subproject in Sultan Kudarat; one in Region 13 with the “Integrated Green Coffee Beans” enterprise subproject in Surigao del Sur; and two in Region 11 with the “Coffee Processing and Marketing Enterprise” in Davao del Norte  and the “Green Coffee Beans Processing and Marketing Enterprise” in Davao del Sur.

These enterprise subprojects aim to increase coffee farmers’ production and improve the quality of their dried fermented and roasted coffee beans in order to fetch higher prices for their beans at the market.

Mindanao coffee farmers continue to have high hopes that soon their beans will eventually reach the international market.

Recently, PRDP invited coffee farmers and partner proponent groups from the six regions of Mindanao to the third round of the Mindanao Online C.A.F.E. last March 24, 2022 featuring the topic “Let’s Up the Mindanao Cup: A Knowledge Sharing Session on Coffee Beans Fermentation” with DA-11 Coffee Rejuvenation Project focal person and Licensed Q1 Coffee Grader John Paul Matuguinas talking about coffee post-harvest processing, bean grading, and sensory evaluation.

Participants actively joined in the knowledge sharing session, learning about the beauty and importance of coffee grading as well as getting insights on where to go to have their coffee graded and how to become coffee graders themselves.

(From left) DA-11 Coffee Rejuvenation Project focal person and Licensed Q1 Coffee Grader John Paul Matuguinas, I-REAP Component Head Ronnie John Yulo, and DPD Noel T. Provido

The Mindanao Online C.A.F.E or “Convergence for Agriculture and Fishery Enterprise” is a platform created by PRDP to provide a venue for the stakeholders of various priority commodities in Mindanao to share and exchange knowledge, and establish linkages between farmers, traders, and other private institutions.

In line with strengthening support to coffee producers in Mindanao, PRDP through a convergence initiative, collaborated with other line agencies to provide technical assistance to coffee farmers in the “Training of Trainers (TOT) on Farm Management and Training on Post-Harvest Handling and Processing” in Lebak Sultan Kudarat.

The convergence initiative is spearheaded by PRDP’s I-PLAN subcomponent 1.2 which implements area-based technical service delivery as a part of creating synergistic partnerships with other agencies to provide support to improve the delivery of technical services to a particular industry like coffee.

New Calinog Coffee Growers Association member Jeremias F. Galon was one of the farmers who benefitted from the “Training of Trainers (TOT) on Farm Management and Training on Post-Harvest Handling and Processing” activity last February 21-25, 2022.

Galon said that he learned new techniques in farming coffee which he had not tried since he began farming.

“I learned so many things about planting coffee. This was the first time I learned about the things they shared in the training like grafting, pruning, and the proper way of applying fertilizer. I will surely adopt everything I learned in my farm and I will share it with other farmers in our area,” said Galon.

In line with DA Secretary William Dar’s advocacy, PRDP continues its commitment to practice an inclusive agribusiness approach based on the value chain system. # (JOY MONTECALVO, PSO Min)