Amidst pandemic, over 180 coffee farmers, investors, and other coffee stakeholders participated in the free advocacy webinar on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) conducted by Department of Trade and Industry Region 2 (DTI-2) in collaboration with the Cagayan Valley Coffee Industry Development Council on 24-25 March 2021.
Capacitating coffee enterprises and other relevant stakeholders on GAP for Coffee to produce safe and quality Specialty Arabica and Fine Robusta competitive in the local and global market are the goals of the advocacy webinar.
“Ang GAP certification ay language of trade. Even if your product is a processed product ay titingnan na nila ang traceability, titingnan na nila kung saan ito [coffee beans] nanggaling,” said DTI R2 Regional Director Leah Pulido Ocampo as she highlighted the importance of GAP certification in the tracing of the origin of coffee beans to ensure quality and safe coffee produce. Traceability, sustainability and competitive advantage were also underscored by RD Ocampo. She also encouraged the coffee processors to source out beans from GAP certified farms in order to be part of this new order of coffee trading.
Furthermore, Department of Agriculture Region 2 (DA-2) Regional Executive Director Narciso Edillo represented by DA Regional Technical Director Roberto Busania, recognized the synergy that the regional line agencies have in working together to address the need of the country. “We should remember that in every cup of excellent coffee you enjoy, are those hardworking farmers who plant, grow, and nurture the quality of beans until they are processed, packaged, transported, and displayed in market stalls,” he added.
Representatives from the PhilCAFE Project shared the foundation of a successful coffee quality which includes good price and farm planning. It was also being emphasized that picking the right cherries using the selective harvesting, fermentation, drying and proper processing should be considered in order to produce specialty coffee. Topics such as Nursery Establishment, Care and Maintenance, Plant Nutrition and Integrated Nutrient Management, Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) and Pruning and Rejuvenation were also discussed.
Ms. Edith Cortina, Regional GAP Coordinator, discussed the process and requirements of securing PhilGAP certification and other assistance that DA R2 can provide to all interested coffee growers.
To ensure the sustainability of this initiative, interested coffee enterprises will be handheld by DTI-2 and DA-2 to guarantee their farms alignment and certification with GAP.♦
Date of Release: 08 April 2021