Philex ventures into coffee farming

MANILA, Philippines - In two months, the coffee demo farm of Philex Mining Corp., in Brgy. Ampucao, Itogon in Benguet province will have its first harvest, two years after the coffee seedlings were propagated in the area.

The harvest will be the basis for further investment and expansion of coffee production, according to Benzon Marino, head of maintenance at the coffee demo farm.

According to Marino, it takes between two and three years for the coffee fruits to ripen, adding that the demo farm is part of the Community Business and Technology Center (CBTC), an initiative of Philex Mining for coffee farmers that aims to benefit more than 100 families whose livelihood depends on coffee farming – just as their ancestors did before them.

“There’s still a lot that can be done on this coffee farm, such as applying top soil to improve the quality of the existing soil and lessen its acidity,” Marino said.

A 1.5-hectare facility situated 700 meters above sea level, the farm has more than 1,000 robusta and arabica coffee trees and at least 200 golden showers, which belong to a species of flowering plants with yellow fruits and have durable wood.

Marino said that 246 of the robusta trees are already bearing fruit. Arabica, on the other hand, has 25 trees bearing fruit. He added that 61 of the golden showers variety are below one meter in height while 176 are between one and three meters tall.

The program encourages farmers to explore all viable means to improve the quality and quantity of production in the farm.

Maintenance includes cultivation, ring weeding, the application of fertilizers, watering, and extermination of insects and fungi.

The CBTC coffee demo farm has four regular workers, and employs six others on a contractual basis as the need arises. It has a one-half-hectare nursery full of ready-to-plant robusta and arabica coffee seedlings.

Marino said that sustaining information flow among coffee producers and maintaining a commercially competitive production form part of the long-term plan for the CBTC coffee demo farm.

Aside from the highland Arabica coffee having a good market in the lowlands, coffee farmers in Philex Mining areas have a ready market among employees, as well as in Baguio.