Assessing the Coffee Value Chain in Basilan and Sulu: Market Insights, Feasibility, Gaps

Coffee farming, processing, and trading benefit the coffee value chain (VC) stakeholders and the local economy. Based on 2021 production data, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) ranked 3rd contributing 17.3% to total national coffee production. During the same year, the provinces of Sulu and Basilan ranked 3rd and 8th among the top 10 coffee-producing provinces with a share of 8.1% and 2.4%, respectively. In 2023, Sulu retained the 3rd spot contributing 8.2% to total national coffee production while Basilan slipped to the 19th spot with a 1.1% share.     

Coffee shops locally termed ‘kahawahan’ in Tausug are integral to the Islamic culture. It is where old folks and professionals gather to sip coffee and hear from each other and where their social fabric and cohesion are formed and strengthened. Nonetheless, the coffee industry in both provinces is beset with challenges that need to be addressed accordingly. 

The Leveraging and Expanding Agri-Aqua Production in Bangsamoro (LEAP) Project aims to strengthen the resilience of agriculture and aqua-culture value chains, particularly coffee, seaweed, and their intercropping opportunities, in the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi Tawi (BASULTA). In support to the European Union (EU) funded Bangsamoro Agri-Enterprise Programme (BAEP), the LEAP Project is implemented by the People in Need (PIN)21 in partnership with its consortium partners Maranao People Development Center Inc. (MARADECA) and United Youth of the Philippines-Women (UNyPHIL-Women). In line with the EU’s thrust to support BARMM’s economic development, this proposed action of the LEAP Project will work with various VC actors of the coffee and seaweed industry in the said three BARMM provinces.