Coffee is one of the top 10 priority commodities in the Cordillera region. The coffee varieties especially Arabica produced in Benguet and Mt. province is considered the best quality due to their aroma. The region is very conducive to coffee growing due to its terrain and weather, as it was ranked as a major coffee producer in the Philippines until the eighties; recently it landed only as sixth coffee-producing region surpassed by Bukidnon, Davao, Calabarzon, Western Visayas and Western Mindanao. To this effect, the Center conducted a training entitled Training of Trainors (TOT) on Coffee Arabica Production Employing Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) with Emphasis on IPM for AEWs of Mt. Province on May 16-19, 2023 at the Dam-muh-han Hall, ATI-RTC-CAR, BSU Compd., La Trinidad, Benguet.
Dr. Cristine B. Esnara, project officer of the training, pointed out that Coffee ranks first among non-staple food and is rated as the fifth most important agricultural product in the world trade. It is considered one of the high-value commercial crops in the local and foreign markets. As of 2014, the Philippines produces 25,000 metric tons of coffee and is ranked 110th in terms of output. However, half of the local demand is being imported to meet supply deficits due to low production. She said that there is a necessity to capacitate AEWs in order for them to provide technical assistance to coffee producers toward the development of a cost-competitive, quality-driven, supply-reliable, and product-diversified value chain from farming to coffee product manufacturing under sustainable practices in compliance with food safety and environmental requirements. Also, the training was conducted to provide technical background and information on the standard code of practices for coffee production, GAP implementation, compliance and certification to the agricultural extension workers.
Addressed during the training were Food safety and quality, which is one of the most prominent concerns worldwide, and foodborne disease outbreaks which continue to be a public health challenge. Also, compliance with Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and GMP developed for coffee and other crops is one of the keys to ensuring food safety from the farm-to-table continuum. GAP aimed to protect consumers against unsafe products, gain market acceptance & credibility by producers and exporters. It provides guidance to farmers and other relevant stakeholders through principle-based practices from planting operations up to postharvest handling, which is focused on ensuring food safety, produce quality, workers’ welfare and environmental management.
Mr. Valentino Macanes, the coffee expert from Benguet State University discussed intensively the package of technology on coffee production. He stressed much about the common pests and diseases and their management as these were the problems affecting coffee plantations in the Cordillera. Harvest and postharvest management, roasting, blending and brewing were also discussed during the training.
Special Topics on First Aid and Accident Management and Leadership and Values Orientation were also tackled. Also, the participants underwent hands-on activities on nursery management and Coffee Management at the BSU Institute of Highland Farming Systems and Agroforestry at Longlong, La Trinidad, Benguet.
A total of thirty-two (32) agricultural extension workers from Mountain Province attended the said activity.
