ILOILO – An estimated 10,000 cacao and coffee seedlings would be planted today at the Maasin Watershed in Barangay Daja, Maasin town.
The provincial government is spearheading the tree planting.
“This is part of our coffee and cacao propagation program,” said Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr.
The provincial government hopes to perk up the local production of cacao and coffee.
“Para kamo kabalo, the Philippines is now importing coffee. We used to export coffee,” said Defensor.
He urged farmers to go into cacao and coffee growing and production as livelihood.
The provincial government allotted P10 million last year for the procurement of cacao and coffee seedlings for planting. This year, it has a P9.9-million budget for this.
Today’s tree planting is also in line with the observance of Philippine Arbor Day.
For the propagation of cacao and coffee, the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) previously said it would concentrate on municipalities suitable for growing these plants.
PAO was targeting 90 hectares for cacao and another 90 hectares for coffee.
The Panay Organic Producers Association (POPA) had told the provincial government there was high demand for coffee and cocoa products most especially in Europe.
The country imports some 100,000 metric tons (MT) of coffee beans worth P10 billion annually mainly from Vietnam, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
It also imports around 20,000 MT of cocoa beans from big African cocoa producers (Nigeria, Ivory Coast) costing a yearly average of $42 million.
In 2012, the DA allocated P192 million to boost coffee and cocoa production through new plantations and several agribusiness zones.
Farmers in Vietnam, the world’s largest coffee producer with a total of 1.4 million metric tons a year, practice intensive fertilization that can produce at least 30 kilos per hectare. They prune their trees and inspect diseases of individual coffee trees daily.
In contrast, the Philippines produces only 25,000 metric tons of coffee a year.
The Philippines is among the few countries in the world that can grow coffee and cacao with its geographical position around the equator./PN
