(Photo courtesy of DA-11)
DAVAO CITY — The Department of Agriculture in Davao Region (DA-11) announced Monday the approval of a Php 99.38-million coffee consolidation, processing and marketing enterprise aimed at strengthening the local coffee industry and expanding market opportunities for farmers.
The project, approved by the Regional Project Advisory Board under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) Scale-Up program, will be implemented by the Magsige Multipurpose Cooperative in Barangay Dacudao, Calinan District.
According to the DA-PRDP, the initiative seeks to improve Davao City’s coffee value chain by establishing a modern processing facility and addressing post-harvest and transportation challenges faced by local growers.
The proposed facility, which will comply with Food and Drug Administration standards, is designed to process up to 312,470 kilograms of fresh coffee cherries annually.
The project also covers the acquisition of heavy-duty coffee-processing equipment and a hauling truck to improve the collection, handling and processing of coffee harvests.
Once operational, the facility will serve as a centralized processing hub for arabica and robusta coffee supplied by cooperative members and partner farmers.
“The project is expected to enable the cooperative to produce graded green coffee beans, roasted coffee products and instant coffee sachets, thereby creating higher-value products and reducing waste from lower-grade beans,” the DA said.
The agency said the enterprise would help farmers move beyond selling raw coffee cherries by providing opportunities to produce processed coffee products with greater market value.
The project is also expected to expand the cooperative’s supplier network from 42 coffee growers in Marilog District to 108 farmer-suppliers from Davao City and South Cotabato, including members of indigenous communities.
Coffee remains among the priority agricultural commodities identified under the Davao City Commodity Investment Plan for 2024 to 2026 and the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Investment Portfolio.
The DA noted that Davao City remains one of the country’s major coffee-producing areas, accounting for 15.30 percent of national coffee production in 2024.
The city also recorded approximately 15,821.68 hectares of coffee farms under harvest during the same period.
With the project’s approval, the DA-PRDP expects the cooperative to strengthen its processing capacity, improve product quality and reach more buyers while creating additional income opportunities for participating farmers.
“With the project’s approval, DA-PRDP and the cooperative expect to enhance productivity, expand market access, and increase incomes for coffee farmers while supporting the long-term growth of the region’s coffee industry,” the agency said.
The initiative forms part of the PRDP Scale-Up program’s efforts to develop agricultural enterprises, improve rural livelihoods and strengthen the competitiveness of Philippine agricultural products.
