Abra: Abra lone district Rep. JB Bernos on Tuesday lauded the Department of Agriculture for creating 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 on Tuesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. recently ordered the creation of a dedicated Coffee Industry Development Office under the DA's Office of the Undersecretary for Special Concerns and Official Development Assistance. The CIDO will centralize coffee programs, funding, and policies that were previously scattered across multiple units, giving the crop its first true headquarters.

The DA cited aging farmers, limited access to inputs, outdated equipment, and inadequate infrastructure as among the barriers to the industry's development, which lead to declining yields, uneven quality, and rising imports to satisfy local demand. Bernos said the creation of the CIDO will help also realize the full potential of Philippine coffee, with many local producers already being acclaimed worldwide for their cultivated products despite the various challenges they face.

'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. Kami sa Abra, at malamang sa buong Cordillera, ay nananabik na makipagtulungan sa CIDO para sa aming mga coffee producers (With a dedicated office for the industry, we are optimistic that the barriers to the development of the coffee industry in the country will be addressed. Coffee producers in Abra and in the whole of the Cordilleras are eager to cooperate with the CIDO),' the lawmaker said.

The Philippine Coffee Board Inc. (PCBI) 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 kilos per hectare.