LAL-LO, Cagayan- Officials of Cagayan State University (CSU) and the administration of the Municipality of Lal-lo have started yesterday, February 15, realizing activities under the CSU-Local Government Unit (LGU) of Lal-lo partnership in bolstering efforts to make Lal-lo as the coffee authority in the province of Cagayan.
The group of officials led by the two agencies’ leaders themselves, OIC University President Engr. Arthur G. Ibañez, and Municipal Vice Mayor Hon. Ma. Olivia B. Pascual, duly representing the Municipal Mayor, Hon. Florante Pascual, joined hands to inspect the Valena Coffee Plantation Site of CSU Lal-lo to determine possible improvement projects and activities like road widening for easier access and tourism activities as the CoffeeHub program not only aims to manage coffee production practices but also targets to open CSU Lal-lo as a tourism hotpot in the municipality.
Led by Prof. Ana Marie Cauilan, the CSU Coffee Hub Research, Development and Extension (RDE) Program is a five million worth initiative institutionally funded by the university to strengthen, through a partnership with LGU Lal-lo, the niche program of CSU Lal-lo on coffee as a high value commercial crop through coffee research, production, processing, and commercialization as well as establishing coffee farm tourism site in the province.
Combining resources and technical knowledge and expertise, the two agencies work on the program’s implementation this year by leveraging the expertise of CSU in coffee research and development, strengthened by support of the local governance in Lal-lo.
Following the ocular visit at the Valena Coffee Plantation, the two teams convened to deliberate on the stipulations of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will formalize the partnership between the two agencies.
Presided over by Prof. Cauilan, the meeting made both parties agree on the expectations, roles and responsibilities of each agency by establishing a comprehensive framework that maximizes the potential of the two agencies’ combined efforts.
Under the administrative supervision of Dr. Policarpio L. Mabborang Jr, CSU Lal-lo campus executive officer, the project is targeted to be completed this year with the launching of the Coffee shop in CSU Lal-lo in September.
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