Executive Secretary Ralph Recto announced that P50 million is set to be released through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) to boost Bukidnon’s coffee industry, following his recent visit and discussions with local and indigenous coffee farmers.
“Agad na tumugon si Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sa pangangailangan ng ating coffee farmers. Ang bilin ng Pangulo ay suportahan natin sila mula punla hanggang merkado upang lumaki ang kanilang ani at kita,” Recto said in a statement.
“Ang bilin ng Pangulo ay suportahan natin sila mula punla hanggang merkado upang lumaki ang kanilang ani at kita.”
In fact, the Marcos administration has also set aside P400.545 million under the Department of Agriculture in the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program to accelerate the development of the country’s coffee industry, according the Executive Secretary.
“President Marcos is building a stronger Philippine coffee industry from the ground up. By investing in seedlings, nurseries, farm inputs and market access, we can reduce imports, raise farmers’ incomes and make Philippine coffee more competitive abroad,” he stressed.
During his visit, Recto joined Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, Bukidnon Governor Rogelio Neil Roque, Quezon Mayor Pablo Lorenzo III and Pangantucan Mayor Manolito Garces in meeting local and Indigenous coffee growers at the municipal farm in Barangay Salawagan.
The LGSF will be used to purchase specialty coffee seedlings, agricultural inputs such as parchment and chicken manure, and materials for establishing nurseries, including nets, plastic bags, hoses and plastic drums, according to Recto.
A Batangueño and a proud advocate of his home province’s Kapeng Barako, he said he wants Bukidnon coffee to earn the same strong name recognition in markets nationwide and abroad.
“Gusto rin nating dumating ang panahon na kapag masarap na Arabica coffee ang pinag-uusapan, Bukidnon agad ang maiisip ng coffee lovers.”
“Bilang Batangueño, lumaki akong ipinagmamalaki ang Kapeng Barako. Gusto rin nating dumating ang panahon na kapag masarap na Arabica coffee ang pinag-uusapan, Bukidnon agad ang maiisip ng coffee lovers,” Recto said.
“Bukidnon has the land, climate and hardworking farmers needed to become a major coffee-producing province. The government will help provide the investments and infrastructure necessary to turn that potential into better livelihoods and a globally competitive industry,” he added.
Under its coffee development plan, Bukidnon aims to increase production by 200 percent by planting 10,000 hectares of Arabica coffee and achieving an average yield of one kilogram of beans per tree.
The province also seeks to export high-quality specialty coffee within the next decade by improving farming practices, expanding market access and developing an environmentally sustainable and reliable value chain from production to processing and manufacturing.
To meet these targets, the provincial government will establish nurseries in Bukidnon’s component local government units, including two provincially operated facilities in Barangay Kibenton in Impasugong and Barangay Bangcud in Malaybalay City.
It will also help farmer cooperatives and associations establish or improve nurseries in Talakag, Impasugong, Lantapan, Valencia City and Pangantucan.
The officials reviewed ongoing agricultural programs and discussed ways to strengthen Bukidnon’s growing coffee industry.
To help farmers shift from traditional monocrops such as corn and abaca, the Quezon Municipal Agriculture Office has converted its 4.2-hectare farm into a propagation center that distributes thousands of Robusta and Catimor coffee seedlings to rural and Indigenous communities.
Manobo Datu Kennedy Linongcay, chairman of the Gamot-Dumasilag Tribal Agriculture Cooperative Inc., welcomed the government assistance, saying it would help sustain local livelihoods and give farmers greater opportunities to expand production.
Quezon Mayor Lorenzo also sought additional farm-to-market roads and other infrastructure in upland communities to make it easier and less costly for farmers to bring their produce to commercial markets.
Recto assured the farmers that the national government would continue working with Bukidnon’s local governments to address these infrastructure gaps and ensure that the province’s coffee industry has a clear road from farm to market.
