DavSur coffee growers feted
DAVAO CITY, April 3 (PIA)- The recently held Philippine Coffee Quality Competition 2018 recognized two women coffee farmers from Davao del Sur.
Juanita Amaba and Leizel Siluano placed second and sixth in the Arabica-category of the competition held every year to assess the cupping qualities of Arabica and Robusta coffee varieties.
Amaba and Siluano are members of the Balatukay Coffee Farmers Association (BACOFA).
The two women farmers consistently got high cupping scores during the competition. The main judging of the PCQC was held last March 12-19 at the Barista and Coffee Academy of Asia in Greenhills San Juan, Metro Manila.
The post-harvest processes of the green coffee beans harvested by Amaba and Siluano were done by Marivic Dubria and Maria Luz Dubria of BACOFA.
Coffea Arabica or Robusta has a higher sugar content than the Robusta variety (Coffea Canephora). Arabica and Robusta makes up the bulk of the country’s coffee production.
The coffee profiles of the two women farmers are characterized by brown sugar, caramel and fruity notes indicative that these coffee were grown on volcanic soil.
The coffee farm located in Sitio Balatukay in the town of Bansalan in Davao del Sur is near Mt. Apo. These highland coffee farms are excellent areas for which to grow Arabica coffee.
The high cupping scores is an indication that the region can grow high quality coffee.
The coffee farmers are being assisted by the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Agriculture and the ACDI/VOCA (Agriculture Cooperative Development International/ Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance) Mindanao Productivity in Agricultural Commerce and Trade (Minpact) project.