AMID PRICE VOLATILITY of Robusta coffee in the world market, local industry experts cited the need to address major challenges to ensure sustainability, for which the Philippine Coffee Board Inc (PCB) convened the First Coffee Sustainability Congress.
Held in Makati City, Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan in his capacity as chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, delivered a keynote speech embarking on the need for legislative measures to protect the local coffee industry.
The event gathered leaders from the public and private sectors, growers, and advocates and discussed sustainability, traceability, and innovation toward securing the future of Philippine coffee.
The Coffee Sustainability Congress also featured one of the foremost Robusta experts, Nishant Gurjer of Kaapi Royale Bangalore, to share how India’s Robusta production continues to receive good value and better prices.
“We have long wanted to raise the value of Robusta, which is 90 percent of our country’s production,” says Pacita Juan, chairman of the PCB. “The way to ensure the sustainability of our country’s coffee supply for domestic consumption is to enable farmers to produce quality coffee and by helping consumers appreciate high quality Philippine coffee,” she added.
Another way to sustainability is understanding the appreciation protocols of buyers from Asia Pacific and other global specialty markets, said Dave Lim in his capacity as Technical Director of the Asean Coffee Institute. (ITOH SON)
