TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan, Philippines — The coffee industry will address poverty in the Cagayan Valley Region, Quirino Governor and Regional Development Council (RDC)-2 Chair Junie Cua said during the 2nd Cagayan Valley Coffee Business Forum and Brand Launching held in Isabela, Philippines recently.
With the the theme “Coffee 2022: Passion for Inclusion”, the event drew more than 400 coffee stakeholders, mostly farmers and key national coffee industry players from both the government and private sectors.
“With the launching of almost a dozen various coffee brands, this vision is not far-fetched,” Cua said.
Regional Director Myrna Pablo of the Department of Trade and Industry-Cordillera Administrative Region, who discussed the government’s role in the development of the coffee industry, said there is a bright future for the coffee industry in the Philippines with the full support of the government.
Pablo said that the fisheries and high value crops sectors, which are lagging behind in development, should be fully developed as these sectors could effect the inclusive growth that government envisions for Filipinos.
She suggested for the RDC-2 to pass a Resolution for all regional government offices to patronize Region 2’s coffee brands.
Meanwhile, Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Coffee of the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. David T. Santos, stressed the importance of the presence of water source in the coffee production site, such as an irrigation system.
Santos encouraged the farmers to adopt technological innovations in their coffee production to increase their yield and to improve the quality of their produce.
With the creation of the Cagayan Valley Coffee Industry Council (CVCIC) in 2017, the region is surely set to become one of the “most important coffee places in the Philippines” where poverty is alleviated with every farmer now zealous to integrate coffee in his corn or rice production, and with the other stakeholders keen on becoming part of the coffee value chain.
The CVCIC is strongly supported by the DTI, Department of Agriculture (DA) and other regional line agencies, which are now steadily moving forward and making their own mark in the direction set for the regional coffee industry.
Angely L. Mercado
