๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐จ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐น๐๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐
By: Editha Cardenas and Mariel Mina, GPC-PPDO | Photos By: Wendell Tangalin, PIO | Date: July 27, 2021
The Provincial Development Council-Executive Committee (PDC-ExeCom) headed by Gov. Francisco Emmanuel โPacoyโ R. Ortega III approved the Updated Provincial Commodities Investment Plan to Include Coffee Commodity during its 4th virtual meeting for CY 2021 conducted on July 27, 2021 via video conferencing.
During the said meeting, Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator (PPDC) Michaela Louise T. Delfinado presented to the body the proposal for the inclusion of Coffee in the Provincial Commodities Investment Plan (PCIP) under the Philippine Rural Development Plan (PRDP). She discussed a brief situationer for coffee as basis for the proposed investments. She reported that based on the Provincial Government of La Union-Provincial Agriculturist Report, 2020, 13 out of the 20 Local Government Units (LGUs) in the Province or 44 out of the 365 barangays with a total production area of 168.09 hectares are planted with coffee. From these 13 LGUs, a total of 49.281 metric tons of dried coffee beans was produced where the most planted variety is robusta followed by arabica then liberica (also known as barako).
โWe hope that with this plan, we will be able to lobby from the Department of Agriculture funds for the implementation of development projects to further drive Coffee as a high value commodity that will increase the income of farmers in La Unionโ, PPDC Delfinado emphasized. She also added that the approval of this plan, shall signal the beginning of greater prospects in the development of the local coffee industry as the Provincial Government and Component LGUs in partnership with the Coffee Growers and Buyers take the La Union Coffee scene to greater heights for a Stronger La Union, the Heart of Agri-Tourism in Northern Luzon by 2025.
Also present in the meeting were Board Member Francisco Paolo P. Ortega V, BM Geraldine R. Ortega, Ms. Vini Nola A. Ortega, City of San Fernando Mayor Hermenigildo A. Gualberto represented by Imelda Quindara and Municipality of Agoo Mayor Stefanie Ann Y. Eriguel.
The 13 coffee-producing LGUs in La Union include Bacnotan, San Fernando City, San Gabriel, San Juan, Santol, Sudipen, Aringay, Bagulin, Bauang, Naguilian, Pugo, Rosario and Tubao.
