IN A bid to regain the country's status as a top coffee exporter, the Department of Agriculture (DA) outlined the support mechanisms for industry stakeholders.
The Philippines used to be a major coffee exporting country during the 1960s but has ceased to be one because it was not able to cope with the demand of the international market.
Total area cultivated with coffee has fallen from 130,000 hectares in 1989 to about 75,000 hectares in 2006, according to the department.
Filipinos also consume around 64,000 metric tons yearly but the country only produces more than 35,000 MT.
With that in mind, the DA-Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization aims to address the post-harvest aspect of coffee farming to improve the income level of farmers and agribusinessmen.
Up to 2016, the DA-PhilMech will spearhead with industry stakeholders the establishment of at least 21 coffee processing centers in areas where coffee is grown or being propagated as a cash crop.
Thirteen of the 21 coffee processing centers will be established in the Cordillera Autonomous Region, where there are many farmers who are growing the crop organically or free of inorganic fertilizers and chemicals.
Meanwhile, four coffee processing centers are being eyed for Cagayan Valley, two for Caraga, and one each for the Calabarzon (Region 4-A) and Eastern Visayas.
Each coffee processing center will cost around P4.9 million to establish, for a total cost of approximately P102.90 million.
A coffee processing facility will produce ground coffee of different blends from the coffee beans produced by farmers and growers, and can process 60 kilograms per hour at 80-percent efficiency or 480 kg of ground coffee per eight-hour shift.
The production process involves milling, cleaning, sorting, grading, hot air batch drying, hot air convection roasting, grinding and blending-mixing.
"On top of that, Philippine-based companies that produce coffee can source their raw material needs from the Philippines given that more farmers and agribusinessmen have started to show great interest toward coffee farming," DA-PhilMech Executive Director Ricardo Cachuela said.
The agency said it will involve the farmers, local government units, the private sector, non-government organizations and foreign aid donors in the establishment of the 21 coffee processing centers.
"The location of each coffee processing center was carefully studied to make sure that these are strategically located in areas where coffee farming is a major activity, and where there are more farmers and businessmen taking up coffee farming," Cachuela said. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)
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