Cordillera coffee eyes int'l market by 2016

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Cordillera mountains’ coffee, considered one of the country’s best, eyes the international market in 2016.

Hiked production goals toward regional self-sufficiency, national competitiveness and a significant share of at least 20 percent of the export market in 2016 are expected by the Department of Agriculture for the famous coffee.

Cordillera had a total coffee production of around 5,627 metric tons (MT) of several varieties that included Arabica, Excelsa, Liberica, and Robusta in 2011, Joan Bacbac, regional coordinator of the High Value Crop Development Program (HVCDP) reported in a briefing here.

Kalinga tops coffee production in 2011 with around 3,857 MT; Ifugao, with 1,053 MT; and Benguet with 486 MT. Meanwhile, Mt. Province, Abra and Apayao, produced 162, 54, and 13 MTs, respectively.

Bacbac said the country has a large coffee market with an estimated annual consumption of 53,000 MT.

The Philippines is lucky because it is one of the few countries where Arabica, Excelsa, Liberica and Robusta varieties are grown, and Cordillera is also among the few regions that produce such varieties.

At present, the country yields on average 0.733 MT and dreams to produce 1.5 MT by 2016.

To achieve the dream, said Bacbac, the Agriculture Department is working on the rehabilitation of the existing 6,980 hectares of coffee production area in Cordillera and the development of 425 hectares of new coffee plantation by 2016.

With such, new jobs will be created and  good agricultural practices will be promoted as government provides post harvest and irrigation development services, the DA said.

Aside from mass propagation of quality planting materials, procurement and distribution of planting materials, establishment of technology demonstration projects, procurement of post-harvest facilities, and support to the certification of organic coffee and conduct of researchers, DA is also embarking on the establishment of a foundation scion grove, coffee nurseries and village level postharvest center.