DAVAO CITY – Davao Region’s coffee players are now excited to take part in the upcoming coffee quality competition as they aim to bring home some awards.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), in cooperation with ACDI/VOCA and Barista and Coffee Academy of Asia (BCAA), Inc., will be conducting the 2021 Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC) this coming April to May 2021.
The Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC) is an annual event geared towards making the Philippine specialty coffee famous for its quality, not only in the domestic market but also in the global trading arena. Likewise, it is looking into the improvement of business opportunities for the Philippine coffee market players, including the farmers.
Individual farmers and corporate farms engaged in coffee farming and post-harvest processing in the Philippines are encouraged to join and submit their entries or samples of the Arabica and Robusta varieties for the competition. It was emphasized, though, that these must be of Philippine origin.
It is worth noting that the Davao Region coffee players have won numerous awards from the Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC) during the past competitions. In 2019, the Balutakay Coffee Farmers Association (BACOFA) in Bansalan, Davao del Sur took home the Champion for Arabica Coffee in the Philippines award, while the Pine Valley Farm of Davao de Oro was named as the 11th Best Robusta Coffee.
For this year’s Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC), the region’s coffee industry is optimistic about snatching more awards and recognitions to entice more investments and job opportunities.
Based on the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, the region produced a total of 10,715.38 metric tons of coffee in 2019, from its 16,165.28 square kilometers production areas. This made it one of the biggest producers of the country’s best quality coffee products. Meanwhile, the local coffee industry can tap part of the global demand, which is estimated to be at 168.84 million bags or 2.814 trillion metric tons per year, according to the International Coffee Organization (ICO).
“We at DTI-Region 11, through the Rural Agro-enterprise Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth (RAPID Growth) Project and Industry Enhancement Program, ensure that we continuously provide the necessary support and assistance to all coffee players in the region. We have already extended a hand to farmers’ organizations and other stakeholders for the improvement of their product quality, and to entice institutional buyers in the domestic and international markets,” DTI-Region 11 Regional Director Maria Belenda Q. Ambi said. ♦
Date of Release: 18 March 2021