BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya (PIA) – The Department of Agriculture is leading the implementation of the advanced asexual propagation techniques to boost the expansion of the coffee industry in the province and the Cagayan Valley Region.
Valeriano Corales, science research specialist of the DA-Nueva Vizcaya Experiment Station (NVES), said the move is aimed to provide farmers with access to high-quality planting materials and expert knowledge, ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future for coffee cultivation in the region.
He said the DA-NVES serves as a nucleus farm, producing and distributing superior planting materials for coffee, cacao, and other fruit trees.
Corales said a dedicated nursery, established in 2016, houses a diverse range of coffee varieties, including Robusta, Arabica, and others. Likewise, a Coffee Mother Plant Garden (CGP) will serve as the source of scion for propagation.
“The DA-NVES emphasizes the use of asexual propagation methods, specifically nodal cutting and grafting techniques. Asexual propagation ensures the production of plants that are genetically identical to the parent plants,” he said.
Corales said the method guarantees the consistency of desirable traits, such as high yield, disease resistance, and superior bean quality.
He said nodal cutting and grafting techniques are particularly effective for coffee, allowing for rapid multiplication of elite varieties.
Corales said that plants propagated asexually often mature and yield faster than seedlings since the planting materials are nurtured in the nursery using organic, chemical, and bio-control agents for nine months before field planting.
With the advanced asexual propagation techniques, the DA-NVES expects to produce 5,000 quality planting materials this year, with potential for higher output based on past performance, using a one-hectare plantation with 1,000 coffee planting materials.
Corales said this effort has been beneficial to Farmers’ Cooperatives and Associations in Nueva Vizcaya and the Cagayan Valley region in general.
He said these FCFAs are the Bugkalot Coffee Growers Cooperative, Kasibu Coffee Growers Association, and Tiblac Farmers Agricultural Cooperative.
Corales said that aside from raw coffee bean production, FCAs are also exploring value-added products like brewed coffee, drip coffee, and instant coffee. These products have been showcased in various trade fair exhibits.
He said the DA-NVES plans to further boost the coffee industry through expansion of the nursery, particularly for Robusta, Arabica, and Liberica varieties, continuous production of quality planting materials with Bureau of Plant Industry tags and ongoing research on coffee rejuvenation and coffee beans with distinct “NV Origin” tag to push and sustain the growth and further development of the coffee industry in Nueva Vizcaya and region 2. (OTB/BME/PIA NVizcaya)
