Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Philippine Center for Postharvest
Development and Mechanization
CLSU Compound, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija

NEWS STORIES

Community-based coffee processors brew 2nd coffee expo in Bacolod City
by Bezt Gee S. Magararu (January 5, 2017)
Six community-based coffee processors from four coffee growing regions gathered in the 2nd Coffee Expo in Bacolod Pavillion, Bacolod City last December 1 to 2, 2016.

The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) together with DA-Negros Island Region and the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist of Negros Occidental organized the event to provide a venue for coffee farmers and processors to interact with their fellows, partner agencies and prospective buyers.

Participating coffee farmers group are from Cordillera Administrative Region, the Sagada Arabica Coffee Growers and Producers Organization (SACGPO), Bobok-Bisal Organic Arabica Coffee Producers and Growers Association, Inc. (BBOACPGAI) and Tuba Benguet Coffee Growers Association (TUBENGCOGA); from Region IV-A, the Casile-Guinting Upland Marketing Cooperative (CGUMC); from Region 13, Km.7 Farmers and Processors Cooperative (KFPC); and from Negros Island Region, the Cabacungan Integrated Social Forestry Association (CISFA.) These are the coffee enterprises groomed to become model community-based coffee processing enterprises (CBCPES) in the region under the DA-High Value Crops Development Program - PHilMech collaborative project.

During the opening of the event, PHilMech Deputy Director Raul R. Paz addressed these groups of coffee farmers as “pioneers” of the growing coffee industry of the country.

Paz said the event imparted an opportunity to infuse development ideas for the coffee industry. He considers the marketing or product encounters, cupping or brewing exercises and exhibition of the coffee products as helpful ideas to realize the community-based coffee processing enterprise in the country.

“PHilMech focused its coffee program on small coffee growers organization to encourage collective processing and marketing,” Paz said.

Paz pointed out that when the community-based farmers collect their small volume of coffee harvests in a center, the volume become big enough to make the enterprise financially marketable and viable.

Also gracing the affair was Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr., DA ASec for Visayas Hansel Didulo and BPI Assistant Director Jennifer Remoquillo. The governnor was grateful that his province was chosen to host the event. He gave his high hopes that this would revive the coffee production and processing in the Negros region.

On the other hand, Assistant Director Remoquillo made a challenging note for the “pioneers”. She said the development of the coffee industry is long overdue. The value adding component is the factor changer.

“We need a strong partnership, an induced platform to encourage multi-sectoral solutions. We have the right formula: people, product and place… and the market wants to hear a good story… let the competition among growers vs growers, region vs region bring out the best in you… this is how a champion is made.”