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Archives (2001)
NIRDEAP for coffee:
perking up the coffee sector
by Thea Kristina M. Pabuayon |
July-September
2001
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With an annual world consumption rate of 100
million bags, coffee is visibly one of the most important
commodities today. It ranks second to water as the most popular
beverage and has an annual world production that is worth
at least US$ 10 billion. In the next years, world demand is
expected to have an annual increase of 1.7%.
 In
the Philippines, coffee production reached an all-time high
of 61, 140 metric tons in 1992 and an all-time low of 37,
000 metric tons in 1998. The dismal performance of the local
coffee industry was brought about by the dry spells caused
by the El Niño phenomenon.
Like other businesses, the coffee industry is
plagued with problems, namely: low production, low income
of coffee farmers, poor quality of coffee beans, lack of postharvest
facilities for quality processing, and the unstable market
condition here and abroad. With these conditions, the National
Plantation Crop Sub-network for Coffee has drafted its own
National Integrated RDE Agenda and Programs (NIRDEAP) to help
improve the coffee industry. The NIRDEAP will be implemented
for a five-year period and contains priority programs and
projects for coffee. Each R&D member of the sub-network
implements specific projects, thus preventing research repetition
and resource wastage.
The NIRDEAP aims to develop the local coffee
sector into an equitable, sustainable, environment-friendly,
and globally competitive industry. This is done by increasing
the national production of quality coffee beans for local
consumption and for the international market, and subsequently,
increasing the income of coffee growers. The NIRDEAP is anchored
on six research programs, namely:
- Varietal Improvement: germplasm collection, hybridization
and multi-location trial of superior hybrid/clones of coffee,
and biochemical/molecular characterization and analysis
of genetic variation in coffee
- Advanced Propagation: rapid propagation of coffee
through somatic embryogenesis
- Nutrient Management: assessment of leaf nutrient deficiency
in coffee, development of low-cost soil analysis kit, identification
of the critical nutrient requirement of coffee, and evaluation
of organic fertilizers for coffee
- Rejuvenation: development of sustainable management
strategies for rejuvenated coffee plantations
- Socio-economics: market analysis and technology
assessment for coffee
- Pest Management: development of environment-friendly
pest management strategies for Philippine coffee
With these research programs, the Coffee Sub-network expects
to accomplish the following: have an available supply of of
low-cost planting materials; make available rapid propagation
technology to DA regional field units; increase coffee production
by as much as 10-20% through proper fertilization; reduce
the expenses of coffee farmers by introducing new organic
fertilizer; improve the yield of old and unpruned coffee plantations;
disseminate information on latest coffee technologies and
most profitable marketing practices; and increase yield by
maintaining healthy coffee trees. 
More Articles:
Vol. 3 No. 3 July-September 2001
»»
USM recommends high-yielding rubber clones
»» GMA okays
P2B R&D Fund
»» New
sciences to produce more food
»» Five
cacao clones now ready for farmer use
»» NIRDEAP
for rubber: stretching opportunities for rubber industry
»» Rubber:
the oozing tree
»» Village
processing technologies: approach to solve low production of rubber
»» Smallholder
rubber farming system "no break" in farmers' income
»»
NIRDEAP for coffee: perking up the coffee sector
»» Clonal
propagation in coffee: a promising technology
»» How
to raise healthy cacao seedlings
»» Earning
more from canes
»» Coping
with acidic soils
»» Muscovado:
the promise of the 'other sugar'
»» Rock
candy: a 'tasteful' example of a profitable home business
»» Propagating
cacao by nodal grafting
»»
Making vinegar a business venture
»» The
Philippine coffee industry: a profile
»» Prospects
in cocoa
[More
2001 Articles]
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