DA, Nestlé expand coffee partnership

More small coffee farmers will soon enjoy better access to high-quality planting materials as the government and the private sector intensified their partnership, which started way back in 2009, to build new nurseries and boost technology dissemination in a bid to support an ever-growing industry.

Agriculture Secretary Secretary Proceso J. Alcala and Nestlé Philippines Inc. (NPI) chair and CEO John Martin Miller have signed four separate memoranda of agreements for the joint development of Robusta nurseries, mother plant gardens and related facilities in five Department of Agriculture (DA) research stations from where farmers could purchase high-yield, disease resistant coffee plantlets at low prices.

Through the fresh partnership, which builds on the gains of a previous agreement signed five years ago, farmers will likewise receive technical assistance, notably on production and postproduction technologies, as well marketing support.

The new project sites include the Quirino Experiment Station in Barangay (village) Dungo, Aglipay, Quirino; Bureau of Soils and Water Management property in Barangay Dalwangan, Malaybalay, Bukidnon, and Trento Research and Experimental Station in Barangay Poblacion, Trento, Agusan del Sur.

Five hectares more will be added to the existing 12.5-hectare project site at the Northern Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center (Nomiarc), to accommodate more nurseries.

Nomiarc currently houses the Bukidnon Integrated Coffee Center (BICC), which includes a DA-certified mother plant garden, a training center, a demo farm and a composting facility. Since 2011, BICC has provided technical help and distributed plantlets to farmers in Bukidnon and nearby provinces, including indigenous peoples known as lumads.

In all, the partnership hopes to develop 30 hectares of new project sites, with the DA providing more lands if necessary, in a bid to increase the production of Robusta.

Robusta is the variety of choice being the raw material for instant coffee, which is extremely popular in the country. It can also be planted in various parts of the archipelago.

Present domestic demand stands at 65,000 metric tons (MT) but production reaches only 30,000 MT and the rest is imported mainly from Vietnam.

The DA aims to see the 35,000 MT deficit produced locally by 2018. After that, Yap said, the Philippines should be able to start exporting coffee including value-added products.

To achieve the targets, Nestlé and the DA signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly facilitate technology transfers in coffee farming to local farmers.

Nestlé will also get seeds from its global hub in France for further propagation in the Philippines.