Cat poop makes good business in Sulu

MANILA, Philippines - Princess Kumala Elardo, a royal member from the Sulu Sultanate who has married a Christian from Pasig, led a turnaround in the local industry.

Elardo put local communities in motion by teaching them to pick up droppings from wild cats endemic to Southeast Asia also roaming free in Sulu forests.

The wild, nocturnal cat-like civet happens to include coffee berries in its diet and leaves the beans along with the rest of its waste lying around. The civet is skilled in picking and digesting only the choicest of beans, and their passage into its digestive tracks contributes to the refined, creamier flavor distinct from industrially produced coffee.

Elardo recalled how she and a few would-be coffee farmers from the community were given a seminar by the Philippine Coffee Board, Inc. (PCBI) on the processing and development of the civet's droppings. She said that now, a team of about 20 gathers the droppings to process them.

"The small coffee business went so well that soon, roads and more houses were built around the community. Of course, it also led to jobs for the residents," Elardo told Philstar.com on the sidelines of the Coffee Origins expo, an ongoing event from October 10 to 22.

The growth in demand of the exotic, steeply priced coffee sourced from the animal's feces in the United States and Europe led the Philippine coffee industry to join the bandwagon. Coffee entrepreneurs tapped Mindanao villages to develop techniques and help invest on technologies for its harvesting.

Elardo's Sulu Royal Coffee, sold at P450 for a mere ten grams, is among the success stories that hint at the huge potential in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao's (ARMM) agricultural competitiveness.

ARMM Manila Liaison Office chief Jolly Lais said that political problems and the lack of infrastructure derail the private and public sector's efforts in the region's development.

"Para ma-develop ang agriculture, kailangan namin ng irrigation system. Before that kailangan namin magkaroon ng general reforms sa system," Lais told Philstar.com.

Explaining that ARMM's economy relies heavily on exports of cassava, seaweeds, rubber and recently coffee, through the PCBI's help, Lais said that local farmers need assistance not only in increasing production but in promotion.

"Itong coffee, ang tagal na nito, noong araw pa lang (there is already potential). Pero hindi maka-jump start, kasi nga walang focus ang government," he said.

Red coffee cherries are the best sources of coffee. The Philippines produces less than 30,000 tons of coffee a year. PCBI photo

PCBI chair Nicholas Matti, meanwhile, encouraged people to get into coffee farming, which can readily become among the country's major agricultural products for export and local consumption.

Matti said PCBI is holding the National Coffee Summit on October 23 to attract cooperatives, academic institutions, entrepreneurs and others to join the growing coffee craze.

"We have discovered successful farmer entrepreneurs and these are the stories we will share," he said. "Last year, we invited experts from Vietnam and Belgium, and this year we can show the results of our suggested practices to the attendees.

The 6th National Coffee Summit will be held at the Diosdado Macapagal Hall, Landbank Plaza, Malate, Manila, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Interested participants may contact 813-1028, 0908-8831218 or [email protected]. Registration can also be done at the Coffee Origins, Greenbelt 5 Gallery, Ayala Center, Makati from October 10-22.