The provincial government of Davao del Norte is eyeing Talaingod town to become a “coffee corridor” in Region 11 due to its vast land suitable for coffee production.

In a statement Wednesday, Governor Edwin Jubahib said the town is being given focus under the provincial government’s “‘Yield Growth in Agriculture,” which aims to increase agricultural production and address the high poverty incidence in the area.

Jubahib said the provincial government has already prepared seedlings through the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAGRO) to be used for coffee production in Talaingod.

The governor said PAGRO has about 10,000 seedlings of Arabica and Robusta varieties, which will be given to the coffee growers for free.

Bernie Pliego, PAGRO focal person for coffee, said: “We prioritize those who are interested because it is a waste of inputs if they have availed from it but will only put it aside. Let’s not talk about how many acres do we have. Let’s start small, and once we managed it, then that’s the time to expand, ” he said.

Ludovico Ramirez, Jr., the technical coordinator of Agricultural Cooperative Development International and Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (ACDI-VOCA), noted the potential of Talaingod town as the region’s “coffee corridor”.

“Talaingod has great potentials to become a Coffee Corridor in the next five years. The beauty is that the provincial government is very supportive of boosting the coffee industry in Davao del Norte,” Ramirez said.

For the project to prosper, Jubahib said the provincial government has opened various barangay roads so that the Ata-Manobo farmers will be able to deliver their products to neighboring communities. (PNA)