Market Value Chain Assessment Report for Coffee in Sulu and Basilan Provinces

Coffee farming, processing and trading bring economic benefits to the coffee VC stakeholders and the local economy in terms of employment, income and revenue generation. 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.

Aside from its economic benefits, coffee and coffeeshops locally termed as ‘kahawahan” in Tausug are integral to the Islamic culture as this is where old folks and professionals alike gather not to only to drink coffee but to 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.

This coffee value chain and market assessment in the provinces of Basilan and Sulu principally aims to identify gaps in the market supply and demand for coffee as well as establish standards that will serve as a guideline in the process of the implementation of the Leveraging and Expanding Agri-Aqua Production in Bangsamoro (LEAP) Project in the
Basilan-Sulu-Tawi-Tawi (BASULTA) area of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). In particular, it looks into the following: identifying coffee farming practices performed as well as current technologies used for production and processing; mapping and segmentation of the coffee value chain (VC) stakeholders - input suppliers, farmers, processors, traders and organisations; analyzing current market trends; identifying role of marginalized sector including indigenous peoples (IPs), women, youth and persons with disability (PWDs); and, identifying challenges and opportunities as well as corresponding recommendations in each segment of the coffee VC.