Abaca Farmers In Central RP Turn To Coffee Beans For Livelihood

MAASIN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 11, 2008) – Some 200,000 Robusta coffee seedlings are ready for distribution to abaca farmers as an alternative source of income and livelihood in Maasin City in southern Leyte province whose abaca plantations were literally wiped out by the bunchy top virus in the past years.

The distribution has started in time for the planting season, according to the office of Rep. Roger Mercado. It said coffee seedlings are available at Mercado’s nursery in the village of Bugo here.

The number of seedlings to be distributed to the farmers would depend on the size of their lots. A hectare of land usually can be planted with as much as 2,300 coffee seedlings.

Mercado recently distributed 25 kilos of Robusta coffee seeds to Bontoc and 35 kilos to Hinunangan which have been planted to nurseries managed by local government units. The seedlings, in return, would later be distributed to farmers.

The lawmaker said Davao-Nestle Philippines’ technicians are also willing to help the local farmers or cooperatives should they need help or assistance in planting coffee seedlings.

He said Nestle Philippines, which owns the Robusta coffee seedlings, will also buy back from farmers their harvested coffee beans. Robusta usually are harvested twice a year.

Nestle also planes to put up a coffee processing plant in Southern Leyte. The virus that hit abaca plantations in the province were said to have originated from General Santos City. The farmers’ lack of necessary knowledge in the prevention and spread of the plague greatly contributed to the spread of the virus. (Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)