Coffee, the favorite drink in Kalinga province

“Coffee, the favorite drink of the civilized world,” is a quotation attributed to Thomas Jefferson, a founding father and 3rd President of the USA, who is known to “rise up early, drank coffee, and wrote a lot.” OU may wish to ponder on that coffee quote as you sip the same beverage early in the morning or at any time of the day anywhere you may be in the Cordillera of North Luzon’s highlands, Philippines.

If you share my assumption, Jefferson may have uttered those words about coffee sometime in the latter part of the 1700’s, after the American colonies revolted against King George’s heavy tax on tea. The revolt, known as the Boston Tea Party, would change American drinking preference to coffee.

Around that time or earlier, coffee would have been introduced in the Philippines through the Spanish Galleon trade.

In Kalinga, some may have read the quotation attributed to Jefferson. Many more may know that coffee has been introduced to their ancestors by the Spanish soldiers or missionaries.

Since its early beginnings until today, coffee is the favorite drink of the local population and many in the Cordillera as well.

Among the earliest varieties introduced in the Cordillera by the Spaniards are Arabica Coffee ( Typica variety) and Robusta.

Arabica flourished in the highland areas of the region. Robusta are mostly grown in the region’s lowland and warmer areas.

Today, both Robusta and Arabica coffees are planted and grown well in Kalinga’s varied geographical terrain. Perhaps, this is the reason why many of the best blends of both coffee beans are found in Tabuk City, the capital town of Kalinga Province.

Kalinga was once a top coffee producer nationwide. In 2012 it ranked 7th nationwide in terms of production and remains as the prime source of coffee beans contributing 69% of the

Yannual 6,000 average produce of the Cordillera.

Over the years, the expansion in rice and corn growing areas in the province may have contributed to the decline in Kalinga’s standing as a major coffee producer. Aside from declining areas, more farmers had their time devoted to rice and corn farming. Rice and corn contributed to a faster economic growth for the province that ultimately became the rice granary of the Cordillera region.

But coffee is gradually being missed by the local population as a commodity that connects each of them to each other; to the world; and, to the past.

That reality may have help inspire the provincial stakeholders, particularly the provincial local government unit ( LGU) in adopting coffee as its priority commodity when it crafted the Provincial Commodity Investment Plan ( PCIP) that anchored the subprojects that were later proposed for funding under the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project ( DAPRDP).

Back then, Engineer Domingo Bakilan, Provincial Agriculturist said, “We want to revive the coffee industry not just to become the top producer in the nation but also as a way of reviving our culture.”

In support to this venture, the DA provided coffee seedlings to expand the province’ existing coffee area. Meantime, the LGU and coffee farmers of Kalinga sought funding assistance from the PRDP for the Kalinga Integrated Coffee Processing and Marketing Enterprise project with a funding support amounting to P14.8 million.

The PRDP responded favorably to this proposal. At the same time, three big-ticket farmto-market roads worth almost PHP 500 million were also proposed and approved to resuscitate the dwindling coffee industry of the province.