The Ministry of Trade, Investments, & Tourism (MTIT) of BARMM and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) have successfully gathered the best of BARMM’s coffee industry at the largest coffee-centric exhibition in the country, the Philippine Coffee Expo (PCE), last June 7-9 at SPACES, OneAYALA in Makati City.
The EU Bangsamoro Agri-Enterprise Program (BAEP) funded CRESCENT project (or Creating REsponsible, Sustainable, and Competitive ENTerprises in the BARMM agribusiness sector), has been supportive of the BARMM coffee industry and ECCP sees this industry as among the BARMM industries that is more ready for investment and export promotion.
BARMM proudly presented the EU BAEP CRESCENT supported MSMEs and showcased various varieties of quality coffee from the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Maguindanao, and Lanao del Sur. Homegrown coffee icons like Kankitap Consumers Cooperative (Robusta) of Sulu, Gata Wao Agri Farmers Service Cooperative (Arabica) Lanao del Sur, and last year’s PCQC Top 7, St. Mary’s of Downtown Farmer’s Organization (Arabica) of Lanao del Sur, has again put their mettle to the test as they compete for this year’s PCQC. Industry leaders such as YJM Farms (Yamashita Coffee) and Malibacao Agriculture Cooperative (North Star Coffee) of Maguindanao, Jezebel Coffee of Basilan, and MSR Enterprises (Ishmael Coffee) has also participated and displayed their beans at the Expo.
Ms. Amina Karon-Mendez, Senior Trade & Industry Specialist of MTIT, emphasized the importance of PCE & PCQC in raising the quality of coffee across the value chain. “We are not only providing them an avenue to sell their products, but we are also raising the bar for them to compete well in the fast developing coffee industry, from Green Coffee Beans (GCB) to roasted beans while encouraging business encounters with potential business partners.”
Ms. Jalika Mangacop of YJM Farms, one of the few nursery growers of BARMM, expressed her gratefulness for this activity that elevates coffee. “Malaki ang potential ng kape, at nagpapasalamat ako dahil may mga efforts ang MTIT at ang ECCP/EU BAEP CRESCENT project para mai-angat ang estado ng ating kapehan sa BARMM” (The potențial of coffee îs really high, and we are thankful for MTIT and ECCP/ EU BAEP CRESCENT project in elevating the standards of coffee in BARMM).
Coffee roasters, farmers, cooperatives, and equipment distributors who are drawn from agriculture, industrial, and food & beverage sectors gather in this event to explore partnerships and find collaborators to find the next up-and-coming single origin coffee beans. This event is a culmination of the annual Philippine Coffee Quality Competition that finds the top coffee farmers who produced the best green coffee bean in the Philippines.
(Article filed by Cyril Almanzor, Senior Project Officer of the EU BAEP CRESCENT Project.)
