LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — The Department of Agriculture-Cordillera (DA-Cordillera) has challenged this capital town to come up with a complete and credible data on coffee farmers and processors to further boost the industry in this town.
“I challenge you, being the capital town of Benguet, to be the first to come up with a complete master list of coffee farmers and processors in the province,” DA-Cordillera Regional Director Narciso Edillo said in a message delivered by DA-Cordillera Regional Technical Director Danilo Daguio in the 1st La Trinidad Coffee Festival that kicked off Tuesday.
“As we all know, our official data comes from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and we can only improve the reliability of their data by having our own operational data beyond question and doubt,” Edillo said.
He pointed out the in-house data would aid in validating PSA’s annual figures, to be used in planning, targeting, and forecasting on the local coffee sector.
Citing the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) data submitted to the DA, Edillo said La Trinidad had 301 coffee farmers producing 55.7 metric tons of coffee from a total of 47,898 coffee bearing trees.
Edillo said DA-Cordillera was keeping its linkage with the La Trinidad local government and stakeholders with the goal of getting a share of the coffee market in the country and abroad.
“Let us all cooperate and help each other in advancing the local coffee industry. We brew unity through coffee,” Edillo said before hundreds of coffee growers and industry stakeholders, who attended Tuesday’s event.
He added a complete sector data would pave the way to linking coffee producers and buyers, as well as sharing of best practices in production and processing.
“Take Atokape as an example. This is the product of Atok Coffee Growers Marketing Association in Caliking, Atok that reaches the markets of Manila, Bacolod, and Iloilo aside from local department stores,” Edillo cited, saying the coffee industry has a huge potential in economically benefitting local farmers. “There are other coffee growers and associations from the Cordillera who are doing well with coffee as an individual livelihood or group enterprise.”
But La Trinidad’s coffee industry still faced a lot of challenges, Edillo said, such as sourcing of quality seedlings and areas for expansion.
Under the Duterte administration through DA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, this upland town was given a coffee processing facility to serve as a springboard for development. **Primo Agatep/ PNA
