Chris V. Panganiban
Inquirer Mindanao
SIBAGAT, Agusan del Sur — Where chainsaws and slash-and-burn farming once tore through ancestral frontiers, provincial leaders are now wagering that specialty coffee can brew an economic turnaround for isolated mountain villages.
On Wednesday, Oct. 21, local officials led by Agusan del Sur 2nd District Rep. Adolph Edward “Eddiebong” Plaza ascended the winding slopes of Barangay Padiay to inspect a 45-hectare model plantation—the spearhead of an envisioned 100-hectare commercial coffee corridor.
The initiative aims to clone the success of neighboring Bukidnon, which has gained national acclaim and premium cupping awards over the past decade for its specialty Arabica.
Plaza, fresh off a benchmarking mission across Bukidnon’s highland estates, joined 1st District Rep. Alfel Bascug and Vice Gov. Patricia Plaza in inspecting the site under the province’s flagship Upland Sustainable Agri-Forestry Development (USAD) program.
The move signals a structural shift away from short-term relief subsidies in favor of sustainable, high-value agroforestry.
“Usa ka dako nga prebilihiyo alang sa among barangay nga mamahimong pioneer sa coffee plantation sa lalawigan,” said Padiay village chief Crisaldo Behing. (“It is a great privilege for our village to be the pioneer of the provincial coffee plantation.”)
“Dili lang kini dugang kita sa among mga mag-uuma dinhi, kon dili usa ka sumbanan alang sa tibuok probinsya,” Behing added. (“This is not just additional income for our farmers here, but a model for the entire province.”)
Technical assessments earlier this year confirmed that Sibagat’s elevation, soil composition, and cool microclimates match the country’s top bean-producing regions. Ceremonial planting began in July, adopting Bukidnon’s shade-canopy systems, soil management practices, and strict seedling standards.
During the inspection, officials evaluated pilot plots across varying elevations. In the foothills, USAD beneficiary Saturnino Sumanda demonstrated thriving rows of Robusta, while higher up the ridgeline, grower Arsenio Salahay presented terraced Arabica holdings and a clan-run nursery propagating thousands of disease-resilient seedlings.
According to Behing, perfecting production and post-harvest handling on the initial 49 hectares will establish the operational discipline needed before scaling across the entire 100-hectare target.
The site inspection coincided with a provincial government convergence mission, which delivered health, agricultural support, and social welfare services to upland residents in Barangays Padiay, Perez, and Kolambugan.
Provincial planners project that if Padiay’s harvest meets commercial standards, Agusan del Sur will evolve from a consumer of Mindanao’s coffee boom into one of its key specialty suppliers.
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