History

Coffee was introduced in the Philippines in 1740 when it was first planted in Brgy. Pinagtung-ulan, Lipa, Batangas. Coffee growing spread throughout the country and by 1880, the Philippines became the fourth largest coffee exporter in the world. But the export abruptly declined a decade later when coffee rust devastated the coffee plantations. In 1970’s, Philippines again emerged as a coffee exporter. Prior to 1990, the Philippines exported 15 % to 30% of the production. The collapse of the International Coffee Agreement (ICA), led to downfall in world coffee pricesand a decline in PH coffee exports. Export earnings, largely from Robusta coffee, dramatically dropped in 1995 from a peak of $118.7 million in 1986.

At present, Philippines is a net importer of coffee, with a domestic consumption almost twice of the local production. The problem on the increasing import of coffee beans is compounded by the declining production of coffee in the country (Figure 1). This can be related to Figure 2, which shows that the area of coffee farm and the number of bearing coffee trees over the last two decades follow a declining trend. These patterns can be attributed to land conversion, shifting of crops, mining, and damages of typhoon. In 2014, coffee production areas covered 117,450 ha planted to almost 80 million coffee bearing trees.