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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Bernos hopes new 'coffee office' can bring local industry to new heights

Bernos hopes new 'coffee office' can bring local industry to new heights

Published Feb 27, 2026 11:32 pm

At A Glance

  • The local coffee industry has a huge upside; however, it needs all the help it can get to make it reach its full potential. For this reason, Abra lone district Rep. JB Bernos hailed the Department of Agriculture's (DA) creation of an office dedicated to providing support to the coffee industry.
(Unsplash)
(Unsplash)


The local coffee industry has a huge upside; however, it needs all the help it can get to make it reach its full potential.
For this reason, Abra lone district Rep. JB Bernos hailed the Department of Agriculture's (DA) creation of an office dedicated to providing support to the coffee industry.
“The creation of the Coffee Industry Development Office (CIDO) is a welcome move that will hopefully lead to the development of the coffee industry. Our coffee farmers in Abra could definitely use the support of the CIDO in improving not only production, but also their standard of living,” Bernos said in a statement Friday, Feb. 27.
DA Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. had earlier ordered the creation of a dedicated CIDO under the DA’s Office of the Undersecretary for Special Concerns and Official Development Assistance.
The CIDO will be tasked to centralize coffee programs, funding, and policies that were previously scattered across multiple units. This gives the crop its first true headquarters.
The DA cited aging farmers, limited access to inputs, outdated equipment, and inadequate infrastructure among the barriers to the industry’s development. This has lead to declining yields, uneven quality, and rising imports to satisfy local demand.
Bernos touted the potential of Philippine coffee, with many local producers already being acclaimed worldwide for their cultivated products despite facing various challenges.
“Ngayon na may dedicated office na para sa industriya, umaasa tayong matutugunan ang mga balakid na pumipigil sa tuluyang pagyabong ng coffee industry sa bansa (Now that there is a dedicated office for the industry, we hope that the obstacles hindering the full growth of the country’s coffee sector will finally be addressed),” he said.
“Kami sa Abra, at malamang sa buong Cordillera, ay nananabik na makipagtulungan sa CIDO para sa aming mga coffee producers (We in Abra and likely throughout the Cordillera are eager to collaborate with CIDO for the benefit of our coffee producers),” the lawmaker added.
The Philippine Coffee Board Inc. said last year that the country’s demand for coffee is between 150,000 metric tons (MT) to 200,000 MT while production is only at around 30,000 MT to 33,000 MT, with the balance of 120,000 MT being filled by imports.
PCBI added that the national average of coffee production in the Philippines is currently between 500 to 700 kilogram per hectare.
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