BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
KASIBU, Nueva Vizcaya: The Didipio Mine here is helping coffee farmers boost the industry by extending financial assistance and capacitating particularly the farmer-members of a coffee growers cooperative here.
Didipio Mine president and general manager for external affairs and social performance Joan Adaci-Cattiling said the mine partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry to provide training to coffee growers.
She said the recent capacity-building activity for members of the Kasibu Coffee Growers Association, Inc. (KCGAI) was mainly on coffee post-harvest operations.
Under the ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ง ๐ ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ project, Cattiling added that Didipio Mine and KCGAI have realier forged an agreement for a P2.5 million pesos financial assistance.
โThis project is under the Didipio Mineโs corporate social responsibility or CSR program aimed at contributing to the associationโs community, financial and organizational sustainability,โ she said.
Cattiling said the project intends to assist coffee farmers in monitoring and managing their crops as well as provide them with technical assistance.
โIt will also cover the establishment and maintenance of a nursery, building the capacity of the associationโs farmer-members, and regular monitoring of the coffee farms,โ she said.
According to Cattiling, the acquisition of needed machinery, tools, and equipment; the augmentation of fertilizer needs of farmers; and the provision of coffee trees and other tropical trees are also covered by the agreement.