By
Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff reporter
Carasi, Ilocos Norte—The indigenous peoples (IPs) in this upland town
of Ilocos Norte is starting to grow coffee plant as an alternative livelihood
and at the same time boost its on-going reforestation project here.
Carasi
Mayor Rene Gaspar said an initial five hectares of idle government lot is
slowly being developed as a coffee plantation here to help upland farmers
generate additional sources of income.
Initiated
by the local government unit of Carasi, Mr. Gaspar said his administration has
allotted funds for the initial development of a tree nursery to fill in the
denuded mountains here with coffee and “madre
de cacao” (Gliricidia sepium) locally known as “kakawate” as shade.
“So
far, at least 3,000 coffee seedlings are now planted at the project site,”
Mr. Gaspar said with 4,500 seedlings more waiting to be planted at the
5-hectare coffee farm.
Since
May, the municipality has deployed farm workers to start planting coffee in
between shades of trees.
In
cooperation with its neighboring local government unit of Piddig, the Isneg
tribe of Carasi has backed the development of coffee plantation in their
ancestral domain.
The
increasing demand for coffee around the world has sparked the development of
growing coffee in this northern part of Luzon, having a favorable weather and
soil condition.
Earlier,
the Rocky Mountain Arabica Coffee Co. (RMACC), a leading producer and
exporter of Arabica coffee in the Philippines has met with local officials here
expressing his desire to partner with government and research institutions to
put up a modern eco-friendly coffee plantation and milling center here.
If
plans don’t miscarry, Ilocos Norte hopes to produce quality grade coffee and be
part of the growing market of the coffee industry.
In
the Philippines, at least 85 percent or 138 million kilograms of coffee supply
worth P6 billion is imported from Vietnam every year.
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