Bukidnon IP coffee farmers get boost from national, local officials

QUEZON, Bukidnon — National and local officials met with indigenous coffee farmers at the municipal farm in Barangay Salawagan, Quezon, Bukidnon on Friday to bolster the town’s expanding coffee industry and review ongoing agricultural support programs.Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Bukidnon Governor Rogelio Neil Roque, Quezon Mayor Pablo Lorenzo III, and Pangantucan Mayor Manolito Garces led the engagement, meeting directly with local growers to discuss their challenges, needs, and industry prospects.For generations, local farming communities relied heavily on traditional monocrops like corn, abaca, and root crops.In response to changing market demands, the municipal government has promoted coffee as a high-value alternative crop.The Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) has turned its 4.2-hectare municipal farm into a propagation center, distributing thousands of Robusta and Catimor coffee seedlings to rural and Indigenous People (IP) farming communities.Manobo Datu Kennedy Linongcay, chairman of the Gamot-Dumasilag Tribal Agriculture Cooperative, Inc. (GDTAC), welcomed the government support, stating it provides local growers with vital momentum to sustain their livelihoods and boost the industry.During the visit, officials highlighted national financial support tied to a broader P250 million fund designated for coffee farmers nationwide this year.Meanwhile, Mayor Lorenzo appealed for additional farm-to-market roads and upland infrastructure to help farmers transport their produce more efficiently from remote communities to commercial markets. /gsg