The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has enjoined consumers to support local farmers in Nueva Vizcaya by buying their own brand of coffee, dubbed the "Ambaguio Kapi."
“Buy local! Patronize local products! Support our farmer-beneficiaries so that they can continue supporting our nation, especially during this pandemic,” DAR-Nueva Vizcaya provincial agrarian reform program officer Dindi Tan said.
Tan recently inspected the operations of the Tiblac-Lingak Farmers Association, Inc. (TLFAI), a DAR-assisted agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organization (ARBO) in Ambaguio, Nueva Vizcaya.
Tan proudly announced that Ambaguio is one of the few upland municipalities in Nueva Vizcaya that produce two varieties of coffee-- Arabica and Robusta.
During the inspection, Tan assisted the farmer-members in developing their new product label.
The DAR official said the regional office has committed to help the farmer-beneficiaries transport their products from Nueva Vizcaya to Manila.
“We will continuously help and guide our ARBOs in all the stages of their operations so that they may be able to sustain their business,” she said.
“Our farmers who are into the coffee business have been experiencing difficulty pitching for a pricing mechanism that will not put them at a terrible disadvantage, “ she added.
DAR-Nueva Vizcaya has forged partnerships with other national government agencies, including the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), to help develop and market the farmers' products.
“This convergence initiative of various government agencies help the farmers to stay afloat especially during these challenging times,” Tan said.
“Please buy their products! Let us help our agrarian reform beneficiaries!” she stressed.