Two coffee grower associations in Negros Occidental obtained a “fine” coffee grade for robusta beans in the recently-held 2021 Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC).

These are the Minoyan Murcia Marginal Coffee Growers (M3CG) Inc. based in Murcia town and the Tongo Integrated Farmers Association located in Himamaylan City.

“The result of the PCQC assessment is an affirmation that we can produce fine robusta if we follow the right protocol in pre-and post-harvest processing of coffee,” M3CG director Teddy Cañete said in a statement on Thursday.

According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), “fine” coffee grade indicates that the green coffee beans (GCB) were void of primary defects and have no more than five secondary spots.

Jairus Sirue, the coffee coordinator of DA-Western Visayas High Value Crops Development Program, said the notable performance of these coffee producers is a milestone in the region’s coffee industry as the Bulalacao Calu-oy-Tula-Tula Sikap Organization of Sibalom, Antique also joined the two associations from Negros Occidental in earning a “fine” grade assessment.

“With this, the farmers can expand their market chains and direct the price of their specialty-grade coffee beans,” Sirue said, adding that this accomplishment can be attributed to improved practices such as selective harvesting and proper post-harvest drying methods, de-hulling, and sorting of coffee beans.

The DA-Western Visayas has provided M3CG with various high-quality coffee seedlings, post-harvest facilities, and equipment to scale up its coffee quality.

In this year’s PCQC, Region 6 submitted eight entries through the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

“We encourage our coffee stakeholders and enthusiasts to take advantage of these opportunities and focus on the potentials of the coffee industry,” DTI-Western Visayas Regional Director Rebecca Rason said.

The PCQC is a convergence of the DTI, DA, Barista and Coffee Academy of Asia Inc., and the Agricultural Cooperative Development International/Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance.

This annual joint activity of government agencies and the private sector seeks to identify the best specialty coffees in the Philippines and aims to motivate producers to improve their coffee quality and market access as these coffees are made known to specialty buyers. (PNA)