Kalinga and Mountain Province farmers train to improve coffee quality and increase production

Tabuk City, Kalinga – A group of farmers from Kalinga and Mountain Province were trained on sustainable agriculture specializing in coffee production from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3 and Dec. 6 to 10, respectively to improve the knowledge and skills of the farmers on proper coffee production management protocols and achieve coffee quality and generate higher income.

The beneficiaries are the Proponent Groups (PGs) of coffee enterprise in said provinces. They were trained on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).

The training was facilitated by the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) in partnership with the Philippine Coffee Guild (PCG) and the Agricultural Cooperative Development International (ACDI).

DA-PRDP National Project Director Undersecretary Ariel T. Cayanan said in his message that the project intends to increase coffee production through capacity building activities that will improve productivity and yield higher income for coffee farmer beneficiaries.

Cayanan added that the project capacitates the coffee farmers to qualify and enter both local and international coffee competitions.

“Let us all come together and share our best practices towards a vibrant coffee industry that will be known all over the world,” Cayanan stressed.

Aside from the planting and post-harvest processing methods, PCG also facilitates coffee cupping and sensory exercises.

PCG Chairperson Ronald Yu then urged the farmers to participate in coffee quality competitions, saying that it would add value to their coffee products.

“Your coffee has a potential to grade higher, but it entails added effort and passion,” Chairperson Yu said.

Meanwhile, one of the beneficiaries, Aliwes Irrigators Association, Inc. President Luisa Salingbay, expressed her gratitude for the training.

“Dakkel ti maitulong na daytoy a GAP training iti kape karkaro ta agrugrugi kami pay lang, ken tapnu ammu mi ikasta mi a mang-improve ken mang-aywan ti kakape-an mi,” Salingbay expressed.

Aillehban Bendadan, an aspiring coffee processor and a member of the Sagada Coffee Growers and Processors Organization, Inc., also expressed the same sentiment.

“Ado ti naadal mi a good agricultural practices a mang-improve ti quality ti kape mi manipod panag mula, panag process, panag pili ti naluom a kape, ken jay panag-cupping ti kape tapnu maamuan mi raman ken angut na,” Bendadan said.

The GAP training series for specialty coffee will be a continuous activity of DA-PRDP to assist other PGs in the region.

OTHER NEWS

Gov. Tubban praises teachers in Kalinga, tells them not to give up for working hard

Follow Guru Press Cordillera on Facebook for more News and Information