MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon — The Department of Agriculture (DA) and Nestlé Philippines have renewed their push to strengthen the country’s coffee industry, launching a new initiative designed to improve coffee production and support farmers across Northern Mindanao.
The partnership, formalized through a memorandum of agreement signed on October 23, 2026, introduces the Mindanao Integrated Coffee Development and Genetic Resource Program (MICDGRP). Its goal is to raise coffee productivity toward one metric ton per hectare through improved planting materials, scientific research, better farming techniques, and expanded technical assistance.
The initiative comes as the Philippines continues to face challenges in meeting domestic coffee demand, highlighting the importance of improving local production and helping smallholder farmers become more productive and competitive.
New coffee program targets better harvests
Under the agreement, the Northern Mindanao Agricultural Crops and Livelihood Research Complex in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, will be developed into a regional center for coffee research and development.
A major component is the establishment of a National Coffee Genetic Resource Repository to conserve, evaluate, and maintain priority coffee varieties. Nestlé will contribute registered Robusta selections to support research and the development of quality planting materials.
The program will also establish nurseries and mother plant gardens to expand the supply of high-yielding Robusta seedlings for smallholder farmers.
These measures are intended to address a longstanding challenge in coffee farming: aging trees and limited access to quality planting materials can restrict harvests even when farmers have suitable land and experience.
Research, training and better farming practices
The partnership will support coffee production trials across Bukidnon, improve research facilities, and establish a dedicated coffee laboratory at the Northern Mindanao agricultural research complex.
Farmers will also receive technical training in regenerative agriculture and soil management. The program aims to combine improved coffee varieties with appropriate fertilization, healthier soils, and drip irrigation to help farms move toward the one-metric-ton-per-hectare productivity target.
The approach builds on earlier DA and Nestlé initiatives that provided agricultural inputs, farmer training, research support, and market-development assistance to Robusta growers in Mindanao.
In June 2023, the DA reported that its Mindanao Robusta Coffee Project with Nestlé was designed to improve farm management, provide fertilizer and equipment support, develop farmers’ skills, and strengthen access to markets.
The latest program expands the focus toward coffee genetic resources, research infrastructure, and the wider availability of quality planting materials.
Why Northern Mindanao matters to the Philippine coffee industry
Northern Mindanao is an important region for coffee-growing communities, particularly smallholder farmers who depend on coffee as a source of household income.
However, improving production involves more than increasing the number of beans harvested. Farmers also face unstable prices, climate pressures, limited postharvest facilities, and difficulties accessing markets that offer better returns.
A 2026 policy note published through the Philippine Institute for Development Studies’ Socioeconomic Research Portal for the Philippines identified aging trees, inadequate access to quality seedlings, weak postharvest practices, and dependence on traders as factors that can limit smallholder farmers’ earnings.
The research underscores the need to strengthen cooperatives, improve market connections, and encourage value-adding activities alongside efforts to increase farm productivity.
This means the success of the DA-Nestlé initiative will depend not only on producing more coffee but also on ensuring that farmers can sell their harvests efficiently and receive competitive prices.
Can higher yields translate into higher farmer incomes?
There are encouraging precedents. In an October 2024 report, GMA News Online cited Nestlé Philippines’ work with the German development organization GIZ under Project Coffee+ and Project Coffee++. The earlier initiative reportedly increased yields among participating small-scale farmers in Bukidnon, while the expanded program aimed to improve productivity further through training and regenerative agriculture.
The DA and Nestlé have also previously emphasized farmer capacity-building, fertilizer support, coffee-processing facilities, and marketing opportunities as essential parts of developing a more competitive domestic coffee industry.
Still, a productivity target is not a guarantee of higher earnings. Farmers’ actual income will depend on production costs, crop performance, weather conditions, bean quality, market prices, and access to buyers.
For that reason, the new program’s impact should ultimately be measured by improvements in harvests, farm profitability, and the long-term stability of coffee-growing communities.
What this could mean for Filipino coffee drinkers
A stronger domestic coffee industry could help build a more reliable local supply of coffee beans and create additional opportunities for farming communities.
But increased production alone will not immediately eliminate the Philippines’ reliance on imported coffee. Expanding productive farms, improving processing and storage, and establishing dependable buying arrangements will all be important to achieving that goal.
For now, the DA-Nestlé partnership represents another step toward improving Robusta production in Northern Mindanao. Its longer-term significance will depend on whether the promised research, seedlings, and technical support reach farmers and deliver measurable results.
The biggest question remains: can better coffee harvests finally deliver more secure livelihoods for the Filipino farmers behind every cup?
