P2M Shared Service Facility awarded to 54 Tabuk coffee processors

Tabuk City, Kalinga – The 54-member Nambucayan Agriculture Cooperative (NACO) will be able to improve the marketability of their coffee processing project with the recent provision of P2.13 million Shared Service Facility (SSF) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The cooperative on Tuesday, August 31, 2021, received P1,080,000 worth of processing equipment, P1,126,224.49 worth of coffee processing center, and working capital of P50,000.

The equipment includes a de-pulping machine, coffee holler, roaster, and grinding machine, vacuum and hand sealers, solar energy, carrying trolley, weighing scale, and packaging materials.

The construction of the processing center, on the other hand, will start following the groundbreaking ceremony held on the same day and is expected to be completed on November 2, 2021.

“As of now, awan pay met ti imbaga ni contractor nu sino i-hire na as workers na pero we encourage nga at least 30 percent of them are from the area,” said Sherilyn Dulliyao of DTI.

Moreover, apart from boosting coffee production in the area, Wayleen Datic of DTI said the project also aims to encourage farmers and the community along the Chico watershed to engage in sustainable livelihood thereby promoting good water management and land-use practices, the main objective of the project which is part of the Integrated Natural Resources and Environment Management Project- Livelihood Enhancement Support Two (INREMP-LES 2) program.

“We are looking forward that once all the components of the project are completed, people will once again appreciate the value of coffee and increase their production, because may added value na siya. Hindi na nila ibebenta as coffee cherries na usually binibili ng middleman or nasasayang kase it's not harvested dahil walang balik na kita mauubos sa labor and cost of delivery and warehouse,” Datic explained.

Now that the processing center is already within the community, Datic said the organization can now transform their harvest into more marketable products like ground coffee or green beans at a minimal fee charged for the maintenance of SSF.

Members, she added, can also opt to sell their coffee cherries at a competitive price to the cooperative, which will process it and sell it under the label and brand of the cooperative.

OTHER NEWS

P1.5M payout distributed to 300 TUPAD beneficiaries in Tinglayan

Follow Guru Press Cordillera on Facebook for more News and Information