The 6th National Coffee Summit will be held at the Diosdado Macapagal Hall of Landbank Plaza, Malate, Manila on Oct 23, 2013 from 8 am to 5 pm. Organized by the Philippine Coffee Board Inc. (PCBI) and the Landbank of the Phils. (LBP), the annual forum allows all stakeholders to meet and share experiences and best practices in coffee farming.
“We are happy to bring farmers from Bohol and Cotabato among many others, to share their experience with other new coffee farmers,” says Nicholas Matti, PCBI chair. “The new farmers also will share their intercrop successes, nursery management and fertilizer production, “he continues.
New researches in coffee like tissue culture, climate change mitigation and other studies will be shared by no less than the National Coffee Research Center head Dr. Andy Mojica, also of Cavite State University and a Trustee of the Philippine Coffee Board Inc.
Another group to be launched at the Summit is the group who call themselves Women in Coffee, composed of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance-PH chapter led by Pacita “Chit” Juan and now joined by other women from Benguet, Bohol, Negros Occidental and Cotabato.
There also will be discussions on Organic Fertilizer Production, Arabica seedling production and other ways to propagate planting materials.
Call or write the PCBI at 813-1028, 09088831218 or email admin.pcbi@gmail.com.
Limited seats, so call or register early. Seminar fees include lunch, snacks and materials.
About 800,000 coffee seedlings are now available in Negros Occidental, Iloilo and Bohol as part of the Philippine Coffee Board Inc.(PCBI)’s contribution to the coffee roadmap being prepared by joint agencies composed of DTI-NCC, DA ,PADCC and many more government units.
The seedlings will provide income of about P24 Million to many start up coffee farmers, and is one of the areas where entrepreneurs can have a thriving business.
“We need to plant about 8 million coffee trees to answer the growing demand for coffee,” says Nicholas Matti, PCBI Chair. “We have encouraged small producers to engage in coffee seedling production to supply the new coffee revolution, “ he continues.
The PCBI has also encouraged farmers in Sulu who have prepared 250,000 seedlings for planting on the island through the People’s Alliance for Progress Multi Purpose Cooperative (PAPMPC) based in Kandayok, Panamao, Sulu. These seedlings will be planted around the hills of Panamao, known to be the lair of insurgents and lawless elements. “We provide economic activity through coffee,” says Princess Lala, a Tausug royalty who decided to pursue coffee production and processing to help her people.
“We will soon provide seedlings to Basilan as well,” she continues ,”through the help of Gov. Mujib Hataman , who graced the opening of the Coffee Origins exhibit at Greenbelt 5.
The shortage in coffee is answered by imports from Vietnam and Indonesia with a value of about P 8 Billion annually. This amount could very well go to Filipino coffee farmers.
“This is an industry where market is not a problem,” says Chit Juan, PCBI president. “We have taught the farmers how to pick red ripe cherries, sort coffee according to variety and grade, and even let them “cup” their produce so they can taste what good processing can do to their harvest, “ she declares.
The coffee stakeholders will discuss all these developments at the 6th National Coffee Summit on October 23 at the Landbank Plaza in Malate, Manila.
ANUGA BRINGS HOPE FOR COFFEE EXPORTS
Just in from Cologne, Germany where the biennial ANUGA show was held, Rosemarie Kwan of DTI-CITEM and Joel Rodriguez of Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC, the state owned import-export company) bring home positive news about coffee.
“Switzerland buyers were looking for Organic coffee and they saw our Sulu Coffee,” says Rodriguez. “They are interested in Organic and Natural Products, Fair trade and traceable coffees,” he continues.
Rose Kwan revealed to PCBI President Chit Juan at a debriefing meeting that many exporters sought out the Philippine Pavilion just to taste our coffees. “We brought a barista (coffee bartender) who made drinks out of the coffee samples we had,” she said. “The best way to sell the coffee is to explain that we now sell green or unroasted beans,” says Chit Juan. Juan observed that in many food shows Philippine coffee is always sold in a roasted state. “This may be good for sampling at the show, but not good as a selling format,” she declares.
DTI-CITEM and the Philippine Coffee Board Inc. (PCBI) will be bringing raw or unroasted coffee to the following shows: The San Francisco Winter Fancy Food Fair in January, in the Gulf Food Fair in Dubai, the FOODEX in Japan and in SIAL in October, 2014.
Meanwhile, the Dept. of Agriculture will also be promoting Organic and Natural coffees at the Biofach Japan, and in Biofach Nurenberg, Germany in 2014.
Indeed, coffee exports will see new light and a new promise in specialty coffee. This should slightly offset our import bill of about P8 Billion pesos, where benefit goes largely to Vietnamese and Indonesian farmers.
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