BANGA, Aklan - ATI Region 6, together with partner implementing agencies, the Philippine Coconut Authority and the Department of Agriculture – High-Value Crops Development Program, conducted a training on Coconut-Coffee Production last June 20-22, 2023, at the Maria Y. Orosa Hall, 4-H Learning Hub. Twenty-two coconut farmers from Negros Occidental, Aklan, Capiz, and Iloilo participated in the said training under the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Program (CFIDP).
CFIDP conducted the course to enhance the knowledge, skills, and attitude of participants on coconut and coffee production, management, harvest, and postharvest technologies.
Ten topics were discussed to maximize the three-day training.
Jairus S. Sirue, Agriculturist II and Regional Coffee Coordinator from DA-RFO 6, shared technical expertise in coffee production technologies. Jean A. Alisna, Project Development Officer III of PCA Region 6, and Felmer John Sasis, Acting Senior Agriculturist of PCA-Aklan/Antique, discussed opportunities in coconut farming under CFIDP, and coconut production technologies, respectively.
Participants were able to perform practical exercises on coffee propagation techniques through stem-cutting/cloning; farm layout, coffee transplanting in coconut area; coffee pruning, detopping, and rejuvenation techniques. Furthermore, they also performed seedbed preparation and coco seed nut nursery establishment, as well as observing coconut by-products processing into cocopeat, coco twine, geonets, and coco-shell handicrafts display.
Field practicum and visits were hosted by Ramon Rasco of St. Rafael Farm, Libas, Banga, Aklan and Aries D. Cuales of ADC Farm in Calizo, Balete, Aklan.
Supplemental to the participants’ learnings are the familiarization with the coconut and coffee growth requirements during development stages, cultural management, care, maintenance, and processing practices, as well as the identification of major insect pests and diseases in coconut and coffee and their control measures and farm recording.
“This training served as a refresher to me, since I am an Agriculture graduate. The knowledge and skills we gained from this training will be used as we go back to Negros (Occidental), to make the coffee trees more taken care of and although it is a big challenge, we will try to make our coffee in our areas and our association more productive. Thank you for this opportunity,” stressed Joven P. Mosquera of the Pandanon Integrated Balangon Farmers Association, Don Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental.
By the end of the course, participants were able to formulate action plans to be applied in their respective associations or cooperatives.
The source of income of coconut farmers relied mainly on industrial products such as copra, copra meal, coconut oil, desiccated coconut, and non-food products. Training interventions under CFIDP are designed to strengthen the production, processing, value-adding, and entrepreneurial capabilities of Filipino coconut farmers, to boost income-generating opportunities for maximum productivity; to which integration of coffee crops to existing coconut plantations aim to achieve.
