[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’‘Huge market’ for organic coffee, cacao’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
Friday, September 8, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_image src=’http://www.panaynews.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/region-coffee-cacao.jpg’ attachment=’116781′ attachment_size=’full’ align=’center’ styling=” hover=” link=” target=” caption=” font_size=” appearance=” overlay_opacity=’0.4′ overlay_color=’#000000′ overlay_text_color=’#ffffff’ animation=’no-animation’][/av_image]
[av_textblock size=’18’ font_color=” color=”]
SAN JOSE, Antique – A farmers’ organization encouraged Antiqueño organic coffee and cacao farmers to produce more, citing a “huge market potential” for such products.
Philippine Coffee Alliance chief executive officer Alvira Reyes said she could envision Antique as one of the Philippines’ top organic coffee-producing provinces.
Their alliance, comprising 50 members, is willing to help the farmers, Reyes said during the Provincial Coffee and Cacao Investment Forum in this capital town on Sept. 6.
On Tuesday, Reyes went to Barangay Caluoy, Sibalom town to check coffee farms and know the difficulties of farmers.
Meanwhile, Department of Trade and Industry provincial director Mercedes Young said coffee and cacao farmers in Antique have good-quality produce. The agency is looking into assisting them, she said.
The department held the two-day forum to raise awareness among farmers on the huge demand for coffee and cacao, said Young.
Antique has 775 hectares of land planted to coffee and tended by 1,129 farmers or growers, Trade and Industry department data showed.
Moreover, 39.38 hectares were planted to cacao, tended by 308 farmers, with production volume of 41.22 metric tons.
With the impending assistance to the farmers, the figures are seen to increase in the next two years, the DTI said. (PNA)
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
