MANILA — Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. has ordered the establishment of a dedicated Coffee Industry Development Office (CIDO), marking a major shift in the government’s management of the country’s struggling coffee sector.

Under Department Order No. 06, CIDO will operate under the Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Undersecretary for Special Concerns and Official Development Assistance (ODA), now headed by Undersecretary Jerome Oliveros. The office will centralize coffee programs, funding, and policies that were previously dispersed across multiple units, giving the crop its first unified administrative hub.

The move derives authority from Executive Order No. 292, the Administrative Code of 1987, which empowers the DA to support domestic and export-oriented agriculture. Tiu Laurel stressed that coffee, long considered a minor crop, now requires full attention.

“We cannot keep talking about the promise of Philippine coffee while farmers grow older, yields stagnate and imports rise,” he said.

Coffee consumption is rising both globally and in Philippine cities, yet local production has lagged due to aging farmers, limited access to inputs, outdated equipment, and patchy infrastructure. These challenges have resulted in declining yields, inconsistent quality, and growing imports to meet domestic demand.

Previously, coffee programs were managed under the Office of Special Concerns and ODA through Department Order No. 19, Series of 2025. The creation of CIDO signals a shift toward a strategic, focused approach, consolidating program planning, prioritization, and coordination across DA bureaus and regional offices.

CIDO will also collaborate with local governments, universities, private firms, and farmer organizations, while recommending policy or implementation reforms. All coffee development funds, including those under the High Value Crops Development Program and the Office of the Secretary, will now fall under CIDO’s oversight, improving accountability and accelerating project delivery.

“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,” Tiu Laurel added.

Analysts note the move reflects a broader Department of Agriculture trend toward commodity-specific governance, where underperforming sectors receive dedicated oversight. Success will depend on modernizing farms, attracting younger farmers, upgrading processing facilities, and connecting producers to higher-value markets.