DTI, Nestlé Philippines partner to support coffee farmers

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has partnered with food and beverage giant Nestlé Philippines for a project to help coffee farmers achieve higher income.

During the signing of the memorandum of understanding held online yesterday, Trade Undersecretary Blesila Lantayona said the partnership involves implementation of the Rural Agro-Enterprise Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth (RAPID Growth) Project which aims to promote agricultural development by extending assistance to farmers in various sectors.

For the partnership, DTI and Nestlé Philippines will work together to help increase the income of coffee farmers by providing training, access to raw materials, technology or equipment, and market for outputs.

DTI has chosen to partner with Nestlé Philippines to tap into the firm’s best practices under the Nescafe Plan or the country’s biggest and longest-running private sector coffee sustainability program, as well as Project Coffee+ which aims to transform 1,500 coffee farmers in Bukidnon and Sultan Kudarat into agripreneurs.

Nestlé Philippines, the largest coffee buyer in the country, has been implementing initiatives intended to help Filipino coffee growers.

Participating coffee farmers will learn how to rehabilitate existing production areas, enhance crop quality, and diversify farm output under the project.

Aside from training, Nestlé Philippines will provide a ready market for locally grown Robusta coffee.

Nestlé Philippines chairman and chief executive officer Kais Marzouki said the firm welcomes the opportunity to work with the DTI under the RAPID Growth Project to help improve the lives of coffee farmers.

“The country’s coffee farmers need support, not just from government and manufacturers, but also from consumers by way of their choosing to buy locally manufactured coffee,” he said.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the project would help build a bright future for rural communities.

“As the project generates more income for communities, it stimulates rural economies, which in turn contributes to peace and security.

These communities can now advance their own interests and remove the obstacles that prevent them from creating better lives for themselves,” he said.

Launched last year, the RAPID Growth Project is being implemented in line with the Philippine Development Plan 2017 to 2022.

The project is supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development, a specialized agency of the United Nations, through loans and grants amounting to $65.9 million.