RTN ventures into coffee farming from mining areas

The Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corp. (RTN) announced its communities’ successful venture into coffee farming as a means of living in support of the Provincial Government of Palawan’s mandate to provide livelihood opportunities to communities impacted by mining operations in the region.

Funded by RTN’s Social Development and Management Program (SDMP), the goal of the project is to make the venture sustainable to soon allow the communities to sell their produce and earn.

According to a Manila Standard report, eight barangays around Rio Tuba initially allotted 152 hectares then added another 48 hectares, accounting for a total of 200 hectares, for coffee farming alone. Moreover, the firm and its partner barangays collaborated with Rocky Mountains Arabica Coffee for the transfer of technology and the Palawan Cooperative Union and the Cooperative Development Aide Authority for the training and sharing of best practices in coffee farming.

RTN Community Relations Manager Bong dela Rosa expressed in the report that they have started harvesting Liberica beans, also known as “kapeng barako,” and are finding ways to perfect the processing operations to produce coffee from mining communities that can be considered up to par to the quality that Philippine coffee is known for.

“Hurdling the first and the biggest challenge of being able to grow coffee in a lateritic mining soil is already a huge success! Thanks to the help of coffee farming experts from the Cavite State University, the center of coffee research in the country, we are now greatly encouraged. We are inspired,” dela Rosa was quoted as saying.

Dela Rosa said that RTN and sister firm Coral Bay Nickel Corp. (CBNC) have allocated P36 million to support the mobilization of this project.