Coffee farming considered as alternative career

MANILA, Philippines - Ben Herrera was a mere weekend farmer several years ago. After taking up coffee farming more seriously in the last two years, he now earns more as a coffee farmer than his salary as an accountant in Sultan Kudarat. Like him, more and more of the country’s farmers in Mindanao, are encouraged to plant coffee due to competitive market prices, increasing coffee demand and the availability of farming expertise focused on improving yields and bean quality. Up to 100,000 Filipinos are presently dependent on coffee for their livelihood. Two years ago, Mr. Herrera attended a coffee farming seminar at Nestlé’s Experimental and Demonstration Farm (NEDF) in Tagum City, Davao. There, he learned about the Common Code for the Coffee Community (4C). 4C is a voluntary code adopted by coffee producers, traders and others involved in coffee growing, processing and trading. Efficient production, profitability, transparency and agricultural sustainability are the goals of 4C. Equipped with this new knowledge, Mr. Herrera was able to transform his once idle coffee farm to a profitable business in a short period. Why coffee farming Even small farmers can readily start coffee farming as it needs only a minimal investment. Labor and materials cost around P40,000 per hectare. Coffee farmers earn as much as P98,000 per hectare, or more than double their investment starting on the third year after planting. "Many local farmers do not know and appreciate this fact so they lose out on a good income opportunity," says Eddie Baylin of NEDF. "Unlike other crops, coffee farming requires little management. It’s actually easy because it’s not full time. You don’t have to be there everyday, as long as you have a trained farmer-in-charge and farm supplies are provided on-time," he added. Coffee farming 101 The country’s climate is suitable for growing Robusta, which commands the biggest demand locally. As long as the plants get a healthy amount of sunlight and are planted on land that does not get flooded, Robusta coffee can be grown successfully and profitably. One can grow coffee two ways, either from seeds or from rooted cuttings. Of the two methods, using cuttings is encouraged because cuttings need a shorter time to grow and mature and give 30% higher yield than coffee trees grown from seeds. Since one can get several cuttings from a "mother plant," cuttings greatly increase the number of plants a farmer can produce in a shorter span of time. From planting, it takes approximately 18 months for a coffee plant to produce its first harvest. With proper care, a coffee tree can live up to 50 years. - BusinessWorld