The Philippines is launching a major legislative push to breathe new life into its struggling coffee industry and reduce its heavy dependence on imported beans. Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson has filed a bill designed to create a comprehensive national strategy and a new governing board to steer the sector's recovery.
A National Framework for a Struggling Industry
Senate Bill 1556, filed by Senator Lacson, seeks to establish a National Coffee Development Program and a Philippine Coffee Board (PCB). The lawmaker pointed to decades of weak government support, inefficient post-harvest systems, and limited access to essential inputs as the core reasons local growers have fallen behind. This decline has led to a critical situation where the country now must import up to 81 percent of its coffee consumption needs.
The bill has an ambitious vision: to restore the Philippines' historical role as a significant coffee exporter by the year 2035. It specifically aims to increase the incomes of smallholder farmers, who operate 95 percent of the nation's coffee farms, and to enhance the production of key local varieties like Barako, Robusta, Arabica, and Excelsa.
Key Programs and Financial Backing
The proposed legislation outlines a concrete, decade-long action plan. A central component is a massive replanting and rehabilitation program targeting 250,000 hectares of land, which includes distributing 150 million climate-resilient coffee seedlings. To ensure localized implementation, regional coffee councils will be set up in major producing areas including Benguet, Batangas, Cavite, Davao, Bukidnon, and Sultan Kudarat.
Financial support is a major pillar of the bill. A dedicated Coffee Credit and Insurance Program would provide P10 billion annually for production loans at a 3% interest rate and another P5 billion for processing and marketing loans at 4%. It also promises full crop insurance coverage and establishes a P2 billion calamity fund. A separate subsidy program would offer fertilizer support, guaranteed minimum farm-gate prices, and transport assistance for growers in highland regions.
Building a Sustainable Future for Coffee
The proposed Philippine Coffee Board would be tasked with setting quality standards, managing farmer field schools, organizing technical visits, and deploying mobile applications for advisory services. Furthermore, the bill calls for the creation of a National Coffee Research Institute under the Department of Science and Technology. This institute would focus on developing new climate-resilient coffee varieties, improving processing technologies, and conducting vital market research.
To fund this comprehensive revival, the proposal allocates P15 billion every year for the first five years. These funds will be directed toward production support, research and development, processing infrastructure, marketing initiatives, and emergency assistance.
Senator Lacson expressed confidence that this coordinated program can rebuild a more competitive and sustainable coffee industry while fundamentally improving the livelihoods of Filipino coffee farmers across the archipelago.
