THE BALUTAKAY Coffee Farmers Association (BACOFA) continues to meet global coffee standards while facing challenges in coffee production.
During an interview at Wednesday’s Habi at Kape in Abreeza, BACOFA chairperson Rogelio Gonzales said they are dealing with problems and obstacles in producing high-quality coffee (90 cupping score).
He cited problems such as inferior varieties of Arabica and pesticides from nearby vegetables that affected production.
“So, soil wise or sa amoang location wise, kaya kaayo namo iproduce, pero sa variety or sa varietal sa amoang coffee nasa pinaka baba mi nga variety when it comes to family sa Arabica,” he said on June 19.
Gonzales noticed that coffee production during El Niño was preferable as it favors the dry seasons. He explained that the more coffee flowers bloomed during the heat, the more they could produce coffee. He also added that after its flowering stage, they will anticipate the incoming rainy seasons for the fruiting stage and expect more coffee to be yielded this year.
“So nagkataon lang pud karon nga El Niño kay shorter lang siya tapos patapos na ang harvest season, tapos here comes the rainy season nga nasa fruiting stage na siya. So dili na siya ma apektahan. So preferable karon nga season sa coffee, sir, para sa akoa,” he said.
The BACOFA continues to sustain the quality of its coffee quality and promote the demand for local specialty coffee. BACOFA also raises awareness and appreciation for high-quality coffee in the Philippines and aims to create a sustainable future for their coffee farmers and the coffee industry.
Last June 9, BACOFA achieved top honors at the Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC) 2024. BACOFA’s coffee producers Arnel Morales ranked at 1st place with a score of 84.95, followed by Rogelio Gonzales at 4th place with 84.18, Josephine Libres at 5th place with 84.07, and finally Ronald Dicdican at 7th place with 83.63.
