PCBI President Chit
Juan and Landbank Vice President Catherine Rowena B.
Villanueva
The
state-owned Landbank of the Philippines (LBP) will be hosting the 6th
National Coffee Summit in cooperation with the Philippine Coffee Board Inc.
(PCBI) on October 23, 2013 at the Diosdado Macapagal Hall, Landbank Plaza,
Malate, Manila.
The
annual conference will feature success stories in coffee production from Luzon,
Visayas and Mindanao, which may serve as inspiration to would-be farmers, OFW
retirees, Landbank clients and the general public. Attendees of past summits have started their
own farms, or have otherwise gone into businesses related to coffee.
The
country consumes about 100,000MT of coffee but only grows 25,000MT, and the
level has not gone up due to continuous conversion of coffee lands to industrial
and residential uses. “In Cavite alone, we have seen the coffee land area
shrink year on year from 14,000 in the 90s to about 7000 hectares today,” say
Nicholas Matti, PCBI chair and Summit in-charge.
The
decline in near-urban areas have gone unabated due to increase in land
prices. However, continuous work by the
PCBI with the Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry and
Department of Agrarian Reform have seen new farmers planting in new areas like
Bohol, Negros Occidental and Cotabato.
“We
would like to showcase these successful new farmers,” according to Matti. “They
attended our previous summits and went to work immediately,” he continues. Now,
these new farmers are showing results in increased land areas planted to
coffee.
The PCBI
and DOST-PCAARRD have also partnered in coffee research headed by PCB director
Dr. Alejandro Mojica of Cavite State University. “It’s all about partnerships,”
says Chit Juan, PCBI president. Where we do not have funds, other agencies and
institutions partner with us to make use of the wealth of information and
experience from members of the Coffee Board.
Even
Landbank will now be more active in supporting coffee farmers all over the
country. It also is supporting local coffee by serving only coffees harvested
from farmer groups and other organizations tapped by the Phil. Coffee Board,
Inc.
Those
interested in meeting potential partners and those wanting to get into coffee
must attend this summit. It is a whole-day affair from 830am to 5pm. Lunch and
snacks and seminar materials will be provided. Please register by email to admin.pcbi@gmail.com or call Chat
Adelante at 813-1028.
