MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon — The Department of Agriculture in Northern Mindanao
(DA-10) and Nestlé Philippines, Inc. have forged a five-year partnership to strengthen coffee
research, improve access to quality planting materials, and raise farmers’ productivity in the
region.

The two institutions signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on October 23 at the Northern
Mindanao Agricultural Crops and Livestock Research Complex (NMACLRC) in Barangay
Dalwangan, Malaybalay City, formalizing the Mindanao Integrated Coffee Development and
Genetic Resource Program (MICDGRP).

The initiative seeks to improve coffee production and quality, increase farmers’ incomes, reduce
production costs, and expand access to viable markets.
Held in celebration of International Coffee Month, the signing was highlighted by the
groundbreaking of the National Repository for Coffee and the Coffee Nursery and Mother Plant
Garden. The facilities are intended to conserve, characterize, evaluate, and maintain priority
coffee varieties, including Nestlé Robusta selections registered with the Bureau of Plant
Industry’s National Seed Industry Council.
The partnership will also support varietal and production trials, demonstration farms, capacity-
building activities, and technical assistance to help growers adopt improved farming technologies
and gain access to quality planting materials.
DA-10 Regional Executive Director Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan said the repository would support
the long-term conservation, identification, and multiplication of coffee varieties suited to
different areas of Northern Mindanao.
“This center will allow us to have long-term maintenance, identification, [and] multiplication [of
coffee varieties], and maybe, in the long [run], produce more varieties that will grow in different
areas in Northern Mindanao,” Pacamalan said.
He described the facility as more than an infrastructure project, noting its potential to serve as a
gene bank for preserving coffee genetic resources and supporting the development of additional
varieties.
Pacamalan also underscored the importance of maintaining an adequate supply of planting
materials for coffee growers.
“That infrastructure provides that opportunity na hindi tayo magkulang ng seedlings,” he said.
Nestlé Philippines Vice President Carl Khoury, meanwhile, highlighted the companies’ long-
standing collaboration with DA-10 in developing a sustainable coffee industry.
“For more than a decade, our partnership with the DA-10 has demonstrated the value of
collaboration in developing a sustainable coffee industry,” Khoury said.
He said the partnership would combine scientific research, high-yield farming practices, and
regenerative agriculture under the global NESCAFÉ Plan and the Mindanao Robusta Coffee
Project to help farmers improve productivity and household incomes while supporting a resilient
coffee supply.
Under the agreement, Nestlé will provide technical expertise, training materials, and planting
materials for the repository. It will also support nursery development, Robusta mother plant
gardens, demonstration farms, and other coffee development activities.

The company will further make soil conditioner from its Sludge Compost Program available to
qualified beneficiaries, subject to availability and applicable requirements.
DA-10, for its part, will operationalize the coffee center and repository, support approved
research and field trials, and lead the preparation of a regional coffee development plan.
Farmers stand to benefit
Beyond research and infrastructure, the partnership aims to bring improved farming practices
and technologies directly to coffee growers through training and field demonstrations.
Reynaldo Teofilo, chairperson of the Batangason Farmers Association in Barangay Baclayon,
Lantapan, Bukidnon, said his participation in the activities had helped him adopt improved
techniques on his three-hectare coffee farm.
“Ika-upat na nako ni nga pagbalik dinhi. Gi-train mi sauna sa Nestlé aron among kape,
maparehas pud sa ilang gipakita dinhi, ilabi na sa de-topping nga akong gigamit pud sa akong
panguma,” Teofilo said.
Merlyn Aringo, a coffee farmer from Barangay Bagongsilang, Maramag, Bukidnon, also cited
the value of field activities in introducing growers to new techniques and technologies.
She said the lessons had helped farmers improve their coffee-growing practices, with the goal of
increasing yields and supporting their livelihoods.
Junde Dela Cruz Lantong, chairperson of the Upakat Farmers Livelihood Association in
Barangay Barandias, Pangantucan, Bukidnon, stressed the importance of choosing suitable
coffee varieties and adopting improved technologies.
He said selecting the right seed varieties or clones, coupled with better farming methods, could
help farmers improve production and achieve better returns despite the time required to grow
coffee.
DA Undersecretary Jerome Oliveros said investments in research, planting materials, and
farming technologies were essential to improving agricultural productivity and strengthening
farmers’ livelihoods.
“These are not simply institutional commitments. They are practical investments [for] our
farmers, in their productivity, their livelihoods, and their ability to withstand the growing
challenges of climate change,” Oliveros said.
Through the five-year partnership, DA-10 and Nestlé aim to expand farmers’ access to research-
based technologies and quality planting materials, laying the groundwork for improved
productivity and a more resilient coffee industry in Northern Mindanao. (JLPC/melbmadera)