DTI mulls new strategies to develop coffee industry

MANILA, Philippines - The government, which is aiming to revive the Philippine coffee industry, is set to hold a fair later this month to develop new strategies to market the country’s coffee products.

In line with government efforts to revive the Philippine coffee industry, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it would feature coffee products in the upcoming Sikat Pinoy National Food Fair.

“We are pushing for programs and projects to promote the country’s coffee industry to become a major player in the huge global coffee industry,” DTI undersecretary Ponciano Manalo Jr. said.

He noted that the Philippine used to be the fourth largest coffee producing country in the world.

This was disrupted in the late 1800s however, when fungus infestation nearly destroyed all coffee trees in Batangas, the country’s major producer of coffee at that time.

Citing the Philippine Coffee Board, the DTI said the country currently only produces 0.012 percent of the world’s coffee supply, with coffee plantations located in Batangas, Cavite, Benguet, Kalinga, Apayao, Negros, Bukidnon, and Davao.

The Philippines is one of the few countries in the world that produces the four commercial coffee varieties which are Arabica, Robusta, Liberica and Excelsa.

According to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, the bulk or 72 percent of the country’s coffee output is accounted for by Robusta, while the balance is accounted by Arabica, Liberica and Excelsa.

“Through the Sikat Pinoy National Food Fair, we will develop new strategies to market food products focusing on industries with competitive advantages like the coffee industry,” Manalo said.

The fair being organized by the DTI with the Department of Agriculture will be held from Aug. 21 to 25 at the Megatrade Hall in SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

The event would feature a coffee pavilion to sell and give samples of coffee products.

It would likewise highlight provincial specialties, offer fresh and processed food from the country’s 16 regions, and conduct cooking demonstrations, food tasting and seminars.

The first day of the fair would be devoted exclusively to institutional buyers such as hotels, resorts and restaurants.