Tribal farmers engaged in coffee in the municipality of Senator Ninoy Aquino, Sultan Kudarat want higher market prices for their coffee and to secure their economic rights.
Datu Angkay Omot, a tribal leader of the Kulaman Manobo-Dulangan Organization (KMDO) in Sen. Ninoy Aquino (formerly Kulaman), said this time, the buying price of coffee beans is P90 per kilo in the province and they hope this will go up further.
Datu Angkay said the buying price must be higher and local traders should have been more honest in their dealings.
The Manobo chieftain and his fellow tribal farmers cultivated an organically-grown robusta coffee beans in a 1,120 meters above sea level the best coffee in southern Philippines.
He said since January, traders have been buying coffee at the price of P70 per kilo from coffee farmers but recently, the buying price rose to P90 per kilo.
Dagtu Angkay told his fellow farmers that today is the time to harvest and sell coffee beans because the buying price is high.