Additional PHP33 million has been allocated for boosting coffee industry in Sagada, Mountain Province under the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).

“The approval of the Sagada Arabica Coffee Growers and Processors’ Organization, Inc. (SACGPO) coffee processing enterprise subproject is a milestone being the first in the North Luzon Cluster under DA-PRDP Scale-Up,” lawyer Jennilyn Dawayan, DA-Cordillera director and the chair of the Cordillera Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB), said.

Sagada coffee is a sought after product due to its taste and aroma, giving the product a good price in the retail market, averaging PHP1,000 to PHP1,500 a kilo.

The Scale-Up component of the PRDP provides additional funding assistance to projects that have came out with good results following the initial funding support.

The additional allocation for SACGPO coffee processing enterprise was approved during the RPAB meeting on Jan. 30.

The group was given an initial PHP3-billion funding in 2020 to help improve its coffee processing operations.

The addition funding will be used for the construction of the Sagada Roasterie, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) compliant coffee processing facility with cupping laboratory equipped with upgraded machinery and equipment, ensuring that the product is up to the global standards.

As Mountain Province’s One Town, One Product (OTOP) and a niche commodity of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), coffee remains a priority for the province.

In a press release on Friday, DA-PRDP shared SACGPO manager Vincent Andawi’s statements emphasizing the business plan, ongoing technical assistance and education for coffee producers.

It said the group has laid its business plan and reported having secured marketing agreements with four establishments, with two more negotiations underway.

The project is also expected to expand to the municipalities of Besao and Tadian, which are adjacent to Sagada, to boost production while ensuring quality standards.

Youth engagement and participation in the enterprise is also encouraged for a lasting sustainability.

Coffee, along with some other soft wood and food-bearing plants, has been identified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resource (DENR) as an option for reforestation program.

Danilo Daguio, DA-CAR’s assistant director for technical operations and the Deputy Project Director of the PRDP, also highlighted the subproject’s historical significance, seeing it as a boost to the region’s agri-tourism. (PNA)