In Chiriquí, with the beginning of the harvest, coffee growers receive orientation

Under the project to establish riverine reforestation and agroforestry with coffee and soil conservation systems, in the Rio Caisán subaccount, Renacimiento district, the Ministry of Agricultural Development carried out a series of training activities to guide producers and technicians of the coffee growing areas of the province.

The theme is related to the genetic improvement of coffee, such as the new varieties, their characteristics and benefits for production.

Having as meeting places, the Héctor Gallego center of the Catholic Church in Volcán, Tierras Altas District and the IDIAP germplasm bank, in Rio Sereno, Renacimiento.

 Participating in the organization was the association of producers from Renacimiento, APRE, specialists from the environmental and climate change unit from different regions of MIDA at the national level and extension agents from the agencies of Río Sereno, Gualaca and Volcán.

As facilitators, technicians from the Tropical Agricultural Research and Teaching Center, CATIE, the Panamanian agricultural innovation institute, IDIAP and the coffee program of the National Directorate of Agriculture participated.

According to Engineer Alexis Bonilla, from MIDA's regional coordination of agriculture in Chiriquí, the project includes the introduction of genetic materials with resistance to the coffee rust disease, among them the obata, tupi and marseille, derived from the sarchimores, that right now they are being sown; He added that they are also experimenting with hybrid materials and others that are being tested at the regional level.

For the president of APRE, Jorge Pitti, despite the adverse environmental impacts (last year), an acceptable harvest is expected in Renacimiento, since many producers have renovated their farms with more productive materials.

He stressed that the project is aimed at the implementation of actions to adapt to climate change, through agroforestry plots with coffee, soil conservation practices, incorporation of trees that provide environmental services and new coffee genetic materials.