As the local production lags despite high consumption of coffee around the world.
In his directive, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has ordered the creation of the Coffee Industry Development Office (CIDO) through Department Order No. 06.
The office will centralize coffee programs, funding and policies that were previously scattered across multiple units such as Office of Special Concerns and ODA, with the agriculture chief making it clear that coffee, long treated as a minor crop, now demands full attention.
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 also coordinate with local governments, universities, private firms, and farmer groups, as well as recommend reforms to fill gaps in policy or implementation.
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.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said the new office will sit under the Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Undersecretary for Special Concerns and Official Development Assistance (ODA), headed by Undersecretary Jerome Oliveros.
According to the department, while coffee consumption is booming both globally and in the Philippines, local production has lagged due to declining yields, uneven quality, and rising imports to satisfy local demand.
Problems it highlighted include aging farmers, limited access to farm inputs, outdated equipment, and infrastructure.
With consolidated control, the DA is looking to boost accountability and speed up project delivery.
Tiu Laurel emphasized, “We cannot keep talking about the promise of Philippine coffee while farmers grow older, yields stagnate and imports rise.”
“By creating CIDO under focused leadership, we are putting strategy, funding and execution in one accountable office. This is about restoring competitiveness and making sure Filipino coffee farmers finally capture the value of a market that is already growing around them,” he added.