THE government has earmarked P50 million to support the development of Bukidnon’s coffee industry, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said on Tuesday.
In a statement, Recto said the funding will be released through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF).
Recto made the statement following his recent discussions with local and indigenous coffee farmers in the province.
‘Agad na tumugon si Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. sa pangangailangan ng ating [President Marcos immediately responded to the needs of our] coffee farmers. Ang bilin ng Pangulo ay suportahan natin sila mula punla hanggang merkado upang lumaki ang kanilang ani at kita [The President’s directive is for us to support them from seed to market so they can increase their harvest and income],’ Recto said.
The LGSF allocation will finance the purchase of specialty coffee seedlings, agricultural inputs such as parchment and chicken manure, and materials for establishing nurseries, including nets, plastic bags, hoses, and plastic drums, Recto said.
The assistance is part of the administration’s broader efforts to strengthen the domestic coffee industry, with P400.54 million also proposed to be allocated to the Department of Agriculture under the 2027 National Expenditure Program for coffee development.
‘President Marcos is building a stronger Philippine coffee industry from the ground up. By investing in seedlings, nurseries, farm inputs, and market access, we can reduce imports, raise farmers’ incomes, and make Philippine coffee more competitive abroad,’ Recto said.
During his September 4 visit to Bukidnon, Recto, together with Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri and local officials, met with coffee growers, including Indigenous farmers, at a municipal farm in barangay Salawagan in Quezon town.
He said the province has the potential to become a major coffee-producing area given its land, climate, and hardworking farmers.
‘Bukidnon has the land, climate, and hardworking farmers needed to become a major coffee-producing province. The government will help provide the investments and infrastructure necessary to turn that potential into better livelihoods and a globally competitive industry,’ he said.
Bukidnon aims to increase coffee production by 200 percent by planting 10,000 hectares of Arabica coffee and achieving an average yield of 1 kilogram of beans per tree per year.
The province also targets exporting high-quality specialty coffee within the next decade by improving farming practices, expanding market access, and developing a sustainable and reliable value chain from production to processing and manufacturing.
To support these goals, the provincial government plans to establish nurseries in its component local governments, including two facilities in barangay Kibenton in Impasugong and barangay Bangcud in Malaybalay City.
It will also assist farmer cooperatives and associations in establishing or upgrading nurseries in Talakag, Impasugong, Lantapan, Valencia City, and Pangantucan.
Recto said the national government would continue working with Bukidnon’s local governments to address infrastructure gaps, including the need for farm-to-market roads, to make it easier for farmers to bring their produce to commercial markets.