A Bukidnon Coffee Roadmap and funding for coffee projects are being eyed as stakeholders are pushing for the branding of Bukidnon as Arabica capital.
This developed as the departments of agriculture and trade and industry in Region 10 have spearheaded the convening of coffee stakeholders, including representatives from local government units (LGU), farmers’ cooperatives, agribusiness enterprises, in the region to map strategies and direction for the booming coffee industry in Bukidnon.
Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-10) Executive Director Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan, said the private-public consultation aims to consolidate plans, programs, and funding for the scaling up of Northern Mindanao’s coffee roadmap.
Pacamalan emphasized the need for a unified direction among stakeholders to drive the development of the region’s coffee industry
Some challenges in coffee cultivation, such as antiquated methods, unconsolidated growers, limited marketing avenues, and inadequate financial resources for expansion as focus areas for roadmap development.
Agriculture Undersecretary for High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) Cheryl Marie Natividad-Caballero recommended the consolidation of existing interventions at the farmer, firm, and industry levels to ensure that they are effectively operationalized.
Further, the undersecretary pushed for the strategic utilization and maximization of the Competitiveness Enhancement Measures Fund (CEMF), to attract public investments.
The CEMF, can fund coffee-related projects up to PhP50 million, subject to the eligibility of the proponents, with a 20% counterpart from qualified proponents. These grants can support initiatives in areas such as production, postharvest handling, processing, marketing, infrastructure development, and the acquisition of equipment and facilities.
The DA-10’s drone team will undertake drone mapping to identify coffee farming areas, determine coffee varieties, and profile the farmers operating in those areas.
Through this digitization, a baseline data can be established consolidating coffee farmers that will serve as a foundation for the region’s coffee industry development over the next 2 to 3 years.
