Nestle Philippines to invest in Mindanao coffee farms

MANILA, Philippines - Nestle Philippines is looking to invest in the country’s coffee farming industry, particularly in conflict-ridden but typhoon-free Mindanao. Pacita Juan, Philippine Coffee Board co-chair, told reporters on Tuesday that the food and beverage giant is planning to develop 5,000 new hectares of coffee plantation annually in the Philippines. “Mindanao is an ideal place for coffee-farming because it is virtually typhoon-free. We are also considering calling the coffee products in Mindanao as ‘peace coffee’," Juan said. She added that Nestle' Philippines will be encouraging farmers to plant more coffee until the Philippines will be able to supply its own coffee requirements. Currently, there are approximately 22 coffee-growing provinces in the Philippines. More than half—or at 35,000 metric tons—of the Philippine’s 60,000 metric tons of demand is sourced through imports, mainly coming from Vietnam and Thailand. Juan added that the PCB’s main task is to organize provincial coffee boards to assist farmers in their coffee farming. The Philippine coffee industry, which are sub-divided into the instant coffee market, the roast and ground market, and the specialty market, last year amounted to P21 billion. It had also consistently grown by 5 percent annually. The instant coffee, dominated by Nestle, comprises 90 percent of the market, while the roast and ground market and the specialty market each has 5 percent market share. Juan also said the PCB is eyeing to participate in the organic coffee demand globally. It makes up 30 percent of the total world demand. - GMANews.TV