Council Philian Weygan-Allan has proposed an ordinance that sought to establish a coffee processing center in the City of Baguio.
The ordinance sought to enjoin the City Veterinary Office (CVAO), the Department of Trade and Industry, and other government agencies to set up the coffee processing center through the Shared Service Facilities (SSF) Program.
The proposed ordinance stated that the eyed coffee processing center will do all the steps of coffee production such as depulping, hulling, grinding, roasting, sorting, vacuum packaging, impulse sealing, and product delivery.
“The coffee industry is laborious and time-consuming. Due to absence of facilities, low quality coffee is produced and is sold at a low price. An estimated 30 percent of the projected harvest is lost by the farmers,” the proposal stated.
The proposal emphasized that having a coffee processing center will increase the productivity of coffee farmers as they will be provided with energy-efficient technologies and more sophisticated equipment resulting in the increase of their revenue and the sustainability of their coffee farm.
The ordinance added that the processing center will help establish a coffee brand that Baguio will be known for.
If approved, the project will be supervised by a governing council consisting of key city government officials, a representative from the DTI, leaders of coffee producers, and representatives from the Highly Urbanized Agriculture and Fisheries Council, and community-based associations.
Under the ordinance, a management team composed of a manager, a quality control officer, processors, packers, a marketing officer, and a bookkeeper will be formed and will be guided and supervised by the CVAO.
The proposed ordinance sought to provide for the setting up of coffee dispensing machines that will sell the Baguio coffee brand. The dispensing machines will be distributed in the market, parks, hotels, malls, and other strategic areas.
It also proposed for skills enhancements for coffee farmers which will be funded by the CVAO with an initial funding of P100,000.
The proposal was referred to the committee on market, trade and commerce, and agriculture for review and enhancement. – Jordan G. Habbiling
April 20, 2024
