PH coffee industry revival eyed with creation of new office

The country will soon open an office dedicated to developing the coffee industry in a bid to revive the struggling sector, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced.

DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. recently issued Department Order No. 06 creating the Coffee Industry Development Office (CIDO) that will centralize coffee programs, funding and policies that were previously scattered across multiple units, giving the crop its first true headquarters.

Tiu Laurel said that coffee, long treated as a minor crop, now demands full attention.

"Creating CIDO as a standalone office signals a shift from sideline management to a focused, strategic approach," he said in a news release.

The new office will sit under the DA's Office of the Undersecretary for Special Concerns and Official Development Assistance.

The order draws authority from Executive Order No. 292, the Administrative Code of 1987, which empowers the DA to support domestic and export-oriented agriculture.

"The timing is urgent. Coffee consumption is booming both globally and in Philippine cities, yet local production has lagged. Farmers are aging, access to inputs is limited, equipment is outdated, and infrastructure is patchy. The result is declining yields, uneven quality, and rising imports to satisfy local demand," the Agriculture chief said.

CIDO will lead program planning and prioritization, track accomplishments across DA bureaus and regional offices, and ensure all initiatives align with national agricultural priorities and ODA-funded projects.

The office will coordinate with local governments, universities, private firms, and farmer groups. It will also recommend reforms to fill gaps in policy or implementation, the DA said.

"Crucially, all coffee development funds, including those under the High Value Crops Development Program and the Office of the Secretary, will now be under CIDO," Tiu Laurel said.

“We cannot keep talking about the promise of Philippine coffee while farmers grow older, yields stagnate and imports rise,” he added.—LDF, GMA Integrated News