Arabica Coffee

JHOWIRA ALISBO
HONEY FAITH DALAYAP
MELVERA MAE GABATIN
CRENZ JANE JACOBO
KRISTY JOY SABAS
BERNA JOY SULAN

INTRODUCTION
 Coffee is widely regarded as the most popular beverage in the world. Coffee is more
than just a beverage; it is also an expression of passion, science, economy, and culture.
Robusta and Arabica coffee trees are the two primary varieties of Native Coffee, which are
found and farmed in the highlands of Brgy. Salacafe T'boli South Cotabato. Native Coffee is
an organic coffee that gives distinctive scents and flavors. Mr. Sinon T. Kitay, a coffee farmer,
claims that they are farmers in the upland mountains who raise rice, corn, cassava, and
coffee in addition to other commodities for their survival and as a source of food and income.
Although arabica coffee trees are also planted on the farmers' land, they previously focused
on "kfî ntîb" or Robusta coffee plants for a long time since that is what their market
demanded. However, they now produce higher-quality Arabica coffee rather than Robusta
coffee due to their community's growth as farmers. Arabica coffee, scientifically known as
Coffea arabica, is distinguished by its thin, glossy, light-green leaves with wavy leaf margins.
The first variation to be found was Typica. It is a high-quality varietal with a limited yield that
is valued for its excellent cup. Arabica beans are typically considered to have better flavor. It
usually tastes smoother and sweeter, with touches of sugar and chocolate. Additionally, they
frequently contain fruit or berry undertones.  It can be utilized to create new, intriguing tastes
by blending it with other flavors. Coffee enthusiasts want to be able to repeatedly enjoy a
single-origin coffee when they enjoy its flavor, aroma, and taste of it. And the only way for this
to happen is to consistently control the origin, processing, and roasting of the coffee beans
that create the unique taste, aroma, and flavor that customers are looking for. Mr. Kitay
added that he became a coffee mentor through the help of the Municipal Government of
T'boli and collaborate with the Philippine Coffee Advancement and Farm Enterprise
(PhilCAFE) project, which is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
to take advantage of its technical expertise and rapport with local farmers. PhilCAFE leads
training of trainers in producing, harvesting, postharvest handling, and especially the coffee
process of Robusta and Arabica coffees based on agricultural practices.

FARM MANAGEMENT
LAND PREPARATIONS

1. Prepare the land during the dry season.

2. Remove excess trees and stumps. Leave some mature trees for shade.
3. Removes weeds by digging and handpicking perennial weeds.
4. Build contour/ form terraces, band grass strips, and cut-off drain to prevent soil erosion.

PLANTING

STEPS IN PLANTING ARABICA COFFEE FROM SEED PREPARATION UP TO FIELD

TRANSPLANTING
STEP 1: Collect ripe fruit during the principal harvest.

STEP 2: Floatation or buoyancy test.

STEP 3: Processing the coffee cherries for germination.

 Pulp the coffee either by hand or with an adjustable pulping machine so that the
seed embryo is not damaged.
 Ferment for 12-18 hours depending on the altitude, temperature, and other factors.
 Wash seeds with clean water until the seeds are free of mucilage.
 Dry the seeds in a thin layer for 2-3 days in a well-ventilated location until the
seeds reach 20% moisture content.

STEP 4: Seed Selection

 Remove any seeds that present defects.

STEP 5: Packing the seeds.

 Before packing the seeds, disinfect them against bacteria and fungus by sprinkling
5 tablespoons of agricultural lime or ash per kilogram.

STEP 6: Storing the Seeds

  Use clean jute sacks or paper bag that allows air to flow.

Seed Viability

 Store the seeds in a clean, dry, well-ventilated area.

 Seeds will be viable for germination within 3 months from the harvest date.

Size of Bed/ Dimensions

 Seedbed should not be more than 10 cm wide.

Shade

 Provide 35% shade.

 Use a commercial net.

Water

 Have a good source of water with a good drainage system.

 1,500-2,200 mm is the ideal annual rainfall for the nursery site.

Seed Germination

 Seeds will start to germinate within 9 days, depending on the consistency of

temperature and available moisture.
 Seeds cannot be kept viable for more than 3 months and they need to have 20%
moisture content.

Timeline of Coffee Seed Germination

DAY 1: Parchment seed is placed inside the germination chamber.

DAY 3: Seed may show no sign or visible bump.

DAY 6: A small bump appears.

DAY 9-25: Radicle protrusion or growth starts and begins to elongate.

Planting Germinated Seed

 Place germinated seed on top of nursery media.

 Cover lightly with media.
  Leave a ½ inch lip on top of the polybag or dibble tube to allow water to
accumulate without a runoff.
 After 6 weeks, a small sprout should be showing.
 At the 3 months mark, the first 2 leaves should be well-developed.

Nursery Media Mix

Option A Option B

 1/3 compost * 1/3 coco peat

 1/3 river sand * 1/3 worm casting & compost
 1/3 sawdust or rice hull * 1/3 river sand

Seedling Management

 Coffee seedlings are ready for transplanting when 6 pairs of leaves have been fully
developed with no lateral branches.

Hardening the Seedlings

 At the four to the five-leaf stage, remove the covering of the nursery or move the
plants to a higher light condition to acclimatize the seedlings and prepare them for
field planting.

Field Planting

 Plant spacing will vary depending on different factors such as topography, shade
level, varieties to be planted, level of mechanization, and fertilization capabilities,
among others.
 Short tree varieties: 2m x 2.5 m
 Tall varieties: 2m x 3 m

Reminders

 Before planting makes sure that you have enough moisture in the soil. If the soil is
too dry, water it a day before planting.
 Observe the roots of nearby shade trees. Roots can be very aggressive and invade
planting holes.

Steps to Field Planting

  Dig a hole 40cm wide and 60cm deep. This will be enough to accommodate a ball
of earth with roots intact.
 Return the topsoil into the hole.
 Prepare the following fertilizer: 56g complete and 56g calcium/ dolomite, 1kg worm
castings/ compost.
 Cut off about 1-2 inches from the bottom of the seedling bag to remove any circling
roots. Place the seedling in the hole and remove any remaining plastic.
 Fill the planting hole with subsoil and fertilizer mix, pressing it firmly around the
hole.

FERTILIZER APPLICATION

 To apply fertilizer, dig a ring canal of about 0.7m to 1m in a radius around the base
of the tree and about 5-10cm deep. Broadcast the fertilizer evenly along the canal
and cover the fertilizer with fine soil.
 Another method of application is by digging at least 10 holes at a 0.75m to 1m
radius around the base of the trunk. Distribute the organic fertilizer evenly among
the holes and cover them with fine soil.

It is advisable to amend fertilizer nutrients based on the result of the soil or leaf analysis.
However, in the absence of that, hereunder is a general guide for fertilizer and nutrient
dosages per planting hole.
Initial Planting (per plant application)
Complete 56g
Calcium/Dolomite 56g
Micronutrients Mix 15g
Extra P 56g
Worm Castings or Compost Mix 1000g or 1kg

Note: Zinc is chronically deficient in coffee and needs special attention. Soil
application and foliar application with Zinc Sulfate for example are good remedies.

 2 months after planting 1st application of fertilizer followed by regular application every
4 months until 2 years.
 Insufficient nutrients must be corrected to ensure continued productivity.

PEST AND MANAGEMENT CONTROL

 Controlling and managing pests is quite challenging for every farmer. Pests are living
organisms that may cause continuous irritation to the plant host, which turns into disease and
may cause destruction to the leaves, stems, and roots. There are two major and minor insect
pests that are common on coffee farms. The first major pest in coffee is the "Coffee Berry
Borer." Once it is already inside a coffee cherry, it is difficult to destroy, and once it multiplies,
it will stay until the next season and can infect; otherwise, the bean is properly dried out. In
controlling the coffee berry borer, we should apply the following 4 methods: sanitation, CBB
trapping, biological control, and application of chemicals. In applying sanitation, first remove
the green, ripe, and overripe cherries from the last harvest. The second way is to create a
CBB trap; this homemade trap is usually effective for female coffee berry borer; the third one
is biological control, fungus Beaureria bassiana; spray the solution early in the morning or
late in the afternoon every 2 weeks; and lastly, application of chemicals. The second major
pest is the coffee stem borer; the first is the white stem borer, or Xylotredrus quadripes,
which is a species of beetle. This pest insect carved out an exit hole and then laid eggs.
Second, red stem borer larvae bore into the bark and created a tunnel. To control the white
and red stem borer, apply tracing stumping or uprooting and destruction, use of pheromone
traps for white stem borer, pruning, and, as a last resort, systemic insecticide. The minor pest
insects, namely green and brown scales, mealybugs, and other sap-sucking insect pests are
difficult to control as they have a waxy covering to protect them, but they can be controlled by
applying cultural methods such as pruning the infested stems, branches, and fruit, applying
synthetic fertilizers, manure, or mulch, destroying the ant nest and also applying soap. Those
said ways of controlling and managing insect pests do indeed play a vital role in farms to
avoid reductions in profit and may exceed the number of products and, through that, the
income as well.

WEEDING MANAGEMENT

The management of weeds on a coffee farm is one of the key elements. The weeding
should be done as frequently as required, and occasionally it comes first. After rejuvenation,
fertilization often takes place in the months of May to June and at the start of the rainy
season. Herbicide application and weed slashing are required for weed management in a tidy
circle that is roughly 0.75 to 1.0 meters in diameter around the trunk of the coffee tree. In a
54-hectare coffee farm owned by Mr. Sinon T. Kitay, they prefer 20 to 50 workers, but if the
profit is low, they prefer to reduce the number of slashers. Usually, these workers are family
members, so the pay is not too high.

HARVESTING

When the coffee cherry is ready to be picked after a year, farmers typically select
those that are red and ready to pick, gathering them one at a time because you can let them
ripen in a one-way process, which may reduce your earnings. As the adage goes, "Patience
is a virtue," having patience is one of the key components of growing a coffee tree, followed
by responsibility in taking good care of the plants. If planting tactics are used, harvesting can
be done once each year. In a 54-hectare field, for instance, the first 5 hectares are planted in
January, and the following year, in January, they are already ready for harvest. The following
year, the next 5 hectares are then planted in February, and so on and so forth. The key to
making a large profit from coffee cultivation is having smart ideas and methods.

POST-HARVEST PRACTICES

The first process in the list after harvesting is the separation of different coffee cherries
by ripeness level before processing. The second process is rinsing the coffee cherries with
clean water. After that process, pour the coffee cherries into the water tank and then, the
coffee cherries shall be separated into two groups which are the Sinker (ripe and unripe
coffee cherries) and Floaters (overripe or coffee cherries that are attacked by pests or
disease. Calibrating of the Pulping machine should take place that would separate the bitten,
crushed, un-pulped, and partially pulped coffee beans. The coffee beans should then be
dried out in thin layers on a drying table with a built-in cover. The next process that should be
followed is crushing the coffee beans in preparation to be strained. After that, coffee beans
will be sorted by color, and remove discolored beans using equipment or by hand. Roast the
coffee beans until it transforms, the green coffee beans into aromatic brown coffee beans. It
is essential for the coffee beans to be kept moving throughout the entire roasting process
because if it’s not then it will increase the possibility of burning the coffee beans during the
roasting process. One of the most important processes in the post-harvest making an
Arabica coffee is the grinding process because the proper grinding process of the coffee
beans is the way to get the most flavor in a cup of coffee. Second to the last step of the post-
harvest process is to strain the well-grinded coffee beans for preparation to be distributed into
packages. The last and final process is disseminating the finished product into its own
packages/pouches for it to be distributed to the consumers or presented to the market.

MARKETING

For Arabica coffee to be marketed successfully the production, harvesting, and post-
harvesting processes should be practiced accurately because they play a big role in the
quality of the product when it comes to the taste, benefits, and variants. Branding and
packaging are also great ways to attract potential customers and promote the company itself.
Quality is the number one weapon when it comes to competition in the market since the
quality of the product is proof of proper production, handling, harvesting, and post-harvest
practices of the product itself. It is also important to represent the farmers that made the
product and to give them pride and credibility for the outcome of the product that was enjoyed
by the consumers.

COST AND RETURN ANALYSIS

Location: Barangay Sala Café, T’Boli South Cotabato

Cropping Season: July- December
Plant Population: 350/ha
Hectare: 1ha
Seed Yield = 2.5t/ha
Table I. Annual costs of a 1-hectare coffee production
Materials Quantity Unit Price Total Cost % share of
total variable
costs (TVC)
Seedling pot 500 pcs 45php/100pcs PHP 450 3.32%
Packaging (200 700 pcs 180php/100pcs PHP 1,260 9.29%
grams)
Packaging (100 500pcs 170php/100pcs PHP 850 6.27%
grams)
Services and
Labor
 Land Preparation - - PHP 11,000 81.12%
(Clearing)
PHP 100%
Total: 13,560

Table 1 shows the annual costs of a 1-hectare coffee production located at Barangay
Sala Café, T’Boli, South Cotabato. It shows that the total variable cost of coffee beans is
13,560php. The variable cost does not involve labor, land rent, transportation, depreciation
charges, and tools that were used during the harvest. Because all of these are considered
accordingly for the real deployment of structure. Because the farmer itself owned the land, its
family members are their own laborers, there has no transportation needed, and the manual
grinder does not require energy consumption as well as for roasting the beans. It was evident
on the table 1 that the land preparation dominates the variable costs with the total percentage
of 81.12%.

Product Quantity of Cost per Farmgate price Gross Income

production kilogram per kilo
(kg)

Coffee 600kg 450 600 360,000

Table II. Annual gross income of a 1-hectare coffee production
Indicator of productivity

(a) Net Income (GI-TVC) = 360,000 - 13,560 = 346,440php

(b) Profit Margin (NI/GI) x 100 = 346,440 ÷ 360,000 = 0.962 x 100 = 96.233%

(c) Net Profit-Cost Ratio (NI ÷ TVC) = 346,440 ÷ 13,560 = 25.55

(d) Return on Investment (Net Profit- Cost Ratio x 100) = 25.55 x 100 = 2555%

Table 2, together with the data computed above reveals a high percentage of return on
investment annually. This means that the coffee is productive. The variable cost was too
much low which results high ROI. The farm has a total gross income of PHP 360,000 and
incurred the total variable cost of PHP 13,560. Thereupon, the farm earned a total amount of
PHP 346,440 which acquired 96.23% as a profit margin of the coffee production. Therefore, it
was concluded that the coffee production was highly profitable business.

CONCLUSION
 To sum it up, Arabica coffee production serves as a great factor to expand the
agricultural industry and its economic value in the Philippines. The Barangay Sala Café,
T’Boli South Cotabato has a perfect climate for the growth of Arabica coffee and people itself
are consistent in cultivating their own coffee bean. From cultivating the bean, it is indeed
necessary requires a huge time, effort and consistency but with the help of the Municipal
Government of T’boli collaborated with the Philippines Advancement and Farm Enterprise
funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, it helps to contribute knowledge to
every farmer on the area of Sala Café’ to enhance the proper use and cultivation of the
Arabica coffee bean production.

Therefore, the data given on this paper is evident that Arabica coffee is highly
profitable and undoubtedly arising in demand that it could critically involve high revenues
despite of the long process and the long wait for harvesting. It just needs determination and
consistency during the processes of this native Arabica coffee. The expenses and income
were totally reasonable and beneficial to both farmers and it helps to expand the coffee’s
economic value in the country. Thus, coffee specifically the Arabica coffee is not just a
beverage that is widely consumed by the people but it also helps people rely on the
production of this coffee for a living especially the people in the Barangay Sala Café, T’Boli
South Cotabato and other people who lived in different places around the world.

RECOMMENDATION

 Coffee farmers should consider sustainable coffee production and be economically

aware before unwanted circumstances would come along the way.

- Farmers often forgot how to be economically aware, just for instance, coffee
needs to be roasted until it gets dark and ready to be grind with. Farmers do not use
electronic devices and technology rather they used to cut trees from the upland to
make firewood for them to roast the dried coffee beans. Thus, supporting the long-
term conservation of the natural environment is necessary and should be supported by
the government, non-government organization and any concerned citizens for
sustainable coffee production

• Each of the regions in South Cotabato should have a retailed store and shop
 - Retailers are increasing from time to time, and this is a great strategy to make
the coffee famous and well-known. Aside from it can help the retailers to have their
own income for retailing coffee, it would also be overwhelming for the farmers to see
people purchasing and enjoying their own products. It would create farmers a quality
life improvement and expand the quality of Arabica native coffee.

DOCUMENTATION