John and Campo Plant Coffee Seedlings in Tagum

Chairman and CEO John Miller, accompanied by Technical Director Campo van Beek, spent a day at the Nestlé Experimental and Demonstration Farm (NEDF) in Tagum City, Davao del Norte on May 29 to get a firsthand view of the farm operations and experience the joy of coffee planting.

Built in 1994 to serve as the hub of the Company’s agricultural research and training activities, the NEDF provides training for coffee farmers on the proper way of growing coffee. It also conducts experiments and produces coffee planting materials, which are made available to farmers at cost.

Nestlé Agri-Services Head Art Baria and his team welcomed John and Campo with a brief presentation on the NEDF operations in Tagum, showcasing the seven newly registered coffee selections under the Philippine Seedboard Act, the different ready-to-plant coffee seedlings, and the training programs it offers.

After visiting the new ‘mother’ plant garden where they were shown the different types of coffee planning materials, and the newly constructed propagation nurseries where the pricking of Robusta stem cuttings was demonstrated, John and Campo immediately went to work, planting coffee seedlings at the NEDF grounds. It was a day well spent, John later said of the visit.

“Planting coffee seedlings is a rewarding experience that will help you learn and appreciate even more about the work involved in producing coffee. Tagum is also central to creating shared value (CSV), for coffee farmers are our essential partners in the production of NESCAFÉ. The Company’s efforts to assist coffee farmers through the NEDF are aimed at helping to rejuvenate the coffee farming industry in the Philippines, encouraging more farmers to plant coffee and converting more lands to coffee farms.”

Source: Nestle Family Balita (June 30, 2010)

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