• MAX MACAHILO
The Integrated Social Forestry (ISF) farmers of Negros Occidental have stepped up in expanding coffee farms and produce to meet the growing demand for coffee beans.
In a Coffee Expo initiated by the Provincial Environment Management Office (PEMO) recently held in Sitio Benejewan, Brgy. Bunga, Don Salvador Benedicto, and attended by hundreds of participants composed of ISF farmers, LGU officials, coffeeshop owners, government agencies, members of the academe, and coffee enthusiasts, the importance of sustainable coffee farming and the expansion of farms was greatly emphasized to meet the demand and eventually become global players.
DS Benedicto Mayor Laurence Marxlen de la Cruz, in his message, laments the present scenario where upland coffee is being sold to the city by the farmers then bought by resort and coffeeshops in the mountains for their customers.
Dela Cruz said it is high time that in order to be sustainable, farmers must have local shops as partners.
He added that up to this day, no local farmers were helped by fancy coffeeshops, among others, because they source their coffee from foreign producers.
Dela Cruz stressed the importance of planting coffee as part of reforestation as it not only helped the environment but also become a source of livelihood for farmers, adding that ISF farmers are also stewards of forest and the environment.
Luisa Tutor, PEMO senior environmental management specialist, said the 31 ISF farmer-associations from Hinoba-an to Calatrava were already planting and rehabilitating, while others expand their areas for coffee production.
She said that aside from PEMO, other agencies are also providing assistance, like the Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry, and the Technological Livelihood and Development Center for branding, marketing, and packaging needs.
She added that volume demand can only be achieved with the eventual creation of trading posts where farmers can consolidate their produce.
Maja Samuel, PEMO LGU coordinator, stressed the need for local government units to nurture their respective ISF farmers, most especially on their needs for support and guidance. The market link is also very important as it opens opportunities for farmers to have stable income.
The Coffee Expo, on the theme, “Bean there, plant that”, also features personal stories of coffee farmers like Maribel Palencia and Rogelio Claridad, who both previously won in provincial and regional competitions.
Coffeeshop owners and connoisseurs Lara Santillan and Aisha Khan shared their Kenyan trip and the experiences they had with local coffee farmers and their practices.
Dr. Mirriam Baltazar of Cavite State University, meanwhile, presented the Pakape Project on coffee research. | PEMO photos
