THE House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture and Food chaired by Quezon Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga on Tuesday approved the unnumbered substitute bill seeking to establish a national program for the development of the Philippine Coffee Industry, creating for the purpose the Philippine Coffee Council, and appropriating funds therefor.
Rep. Enverga attributed the progress of the bill to the support of Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, who instructed him “to expedite the deliberation as he is hoping to approve the bill before the year ends. He firmly believes in the potential of the coffee industry and the benefit that would redound to the farmers, processors, traders, consumers, and other industry partners.”
He also cited the full support that resource persons from both the government and private sector had for current efforts to boost the Philippine coffee industry, which were expressed during the deliberations on the original bills. The bill substituted HBs 1796 and 3552 authored by Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund ‘LRay’ Villafuerte Jr. and AAMBIS OWA Party-list Rep. Lex Anthony Cris Colada, respectively.
The substitute bill provides for the adoption of the 2021-2025 Philippine Coffee Industry Roadmap, crafted in consultation with the coffee industry stakeholders and approved by the Secretaries of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry on March 7, 2017.
The roadmap would serve as a guide for the coffee industry stakeholders for the optimal realization of the targets towards a sustainable and globally competitive Philippine Coffee Industry. The strategic interventions, programs and other activities from the national down to the local levels would be anchored on the roadmap.
For a focused and harmonized implementation of the Philippine Coffee Industry Roadmap and of the provisions of the proposed Act, a Philippine Coffee Council would be created to direct, supervise and monitor the development of the Philippine coffee industry. It would be attached administratively to the Department of Agriculture, and chaired by the DA Secretary.
The committee members agreed to provide a P500 million initial funding for the implementation of the measure once it is signed into law.
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