Asean coffee cooperation
While it is still coffee month which is October as declared by the late president Fidel V. Ramos in 1997, we now turn our focus on ASEAN coffee. We proudly have two superstars in production – Vietnam as number one Robusta producer and number two volume-wise across the world and Indonesia, one of the top ten countries in world production. Just like Africa which has the African Fine Coffees Association, the Inter-African Coffee Organization and Promecafe in Central America, we have the ASEAN Coffee Federation (www.aseancoffee.org) or ACF in our 11 member-state aggrupation called ASEAN.
When we established the ACF in 2012, we recognized our good producers in the region as well as shared information like latest research on coffee through our visits to Indonesian Coffee and Cacao Research Institute and Western Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Institute in Vietnam. How we wish we also had a research center as well-supported by the state and related agencies in science and agriculture. What we have for starters is the National Coffee Research and Development Center, established during the term of Dr. Alejandro Mojica at Cavite State University in the early 2000s. When you visit other research facilities, you will understand why Vietnam and Indonesia are able to produce quality coffee with the volume. Research means not only information but also having good stocks of plants to distribute across the country. How do we get funding to be one of the best research centers in the region or at least be at par with these two ASEAN giants?
Anyway, with our membership in the ASEAN Coffee Federation we do get first dibs at invitations to visit other research facilities as well as the trade shows to represent ASEAN as the new coffee frontier. With rising logistics costs, coffee importers will be hard-pressed to get coffee from Brazil and Ethiopia, which is halfway across the world. To import and export to and from our ASEAN neighbors is the most logical and efficient way if we want to taste other coffees. We have zero tariff across borders in ASEAN, making it very easy to trade in the region. We can also look at ASEAN+3 (China, Korea and Japan), as these three are the best buyers of specialty coffee, for quality exports. There also is Australia, a neighbor in the APAC or Asia Pacific region who can try our coffee and is represented in ACF by our lead instructor Justin Metcalf of Bodacious roasters. We have asked Justin to feature Philippine coffee in his ASEAN limited series, which has gained traction among his Aussie clients.
This year, the Philippines is ASEAN host and almost every week there is an ASEAN event happening across industries with private sector and government agencies. Right on time, we will have our ASEAN Coffee Summit in November in Singapore and will have no less than Vanusia Noguiera, the executive director of the International Coffee Organization(www.ico.org) along with other important coffee people to cement the role of ASEAN as a coffee-growing bloc and also as a coffee-consuming region, with the Philippines being the highest per capita consumer of the brew. Almost 75 percent of exports of Indonesian coffee, albeit in instant mixes, ends up in the Philippines to augment our coffee supply, which needs a lot of improvement in production volume. It has been reported that 80 percent of Filipinos drink multiple cups daily.
The Philippines’ production still leaves much to be desired in terms of volume but we are already making headway in quality. We recently won in regional competitions for green bean quality and have been joining events where our coffees attract attention and interest from foreign buyers, even at our “higher than world market” prices.
All told, ASEAN is the new frontier for coffee. Robusta has been given premium status like Fine Robusta; Liberica and Excelsa are new flavor profiles now increasingly being cultivated in the Philippines and Malaysia. Indonesia and Vietnam rank as top producers while specialty coffee comes from Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia even in smaller volumes. While we are the top coffee-drinking country in ASEAN, we are not able to export as most coffee is consumed locally, at higher prices which the local consumers now place at par with Ethiopia and other farther origins.
The ASEAN grouping in coffee is a good first step in optimizing the region’s resources. Maybe we should not compete; rather, we must join forces in other things ASEAN: ube, mangoes, coconut and the like. We all grow the same species and varieties wanted by the Western world but we still compete on price, to the detriment of small Filipino producers. In coffee we speak one language: quality. This way, we can make ASEAN blends (e.g. Philippine Arabica with Vietnam Robusta) still at good prices. We need not compete, but we can sell together as one region.
Regional cooperation is something ASEAN member-states must consider in order to move forward and be more competitive with other regional clusters. Take black pepper, which we all grow in ASEAN. While India produces a lot, there is wisdom in making an ASEAN collection of pepper to be sold everywhere in the region and to our Asia Pacific neighbors. Let us think out of the box. A lot of people have seen how Vietnam has leveraged the famous ube, because they are fast, they have research and probably state support. We address it by stopping ube exports!
Maybe we should learn from our ASEAN neighbors, instead of competing. That is our example in coffee – we do not compete; we share information and we grow together as a region that the world recognizes. One bloc. One ASEAN.
abtestabtest From POGOs to scam hubs By EYES WIDE OPEN | By Iris Gonzales | 2 days ago The Philippines may have banned offshore gaming, but it doesn’t mean that the people behind it, especially the Chinese, are no longer around. Opinion Collapse By FIRST PERSON | By Alex Magno | 23 hours ago Suddenly, “depreciation” seems too kind a word. The peso is simply collapsing. Opinion Asean energy policy needs more youth voices By POINT OF VIEW | By Ardhi Arsala Rahmani | 23 hours ago The energy ministers of the 11 ASEAN member-states convened in Manila in early October for the 44th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting, but the outcome still lacks mentions and concrete institutional follow-through... Opinion When BBM says don’t panic... By EYES WIDE OPEN | By Iris Gonzales | 23 hours ago The peso’s slide is heart-attack level. But President Marcos said we should not be alarmed. Opinion Closing shop By CTALK | By Cito Beltran | 1 day ago Our current economic condition is deemed by many business owners as worse than the two-year lockdown during the COVID pandemic. Opinion Latest More in Opinion EDITORIAL — Early learning crisis All Saints’ & All Souls’ Days Relevance EDITORIAL — Expectations from a reshuffle abtest Beyond the balde By SKETCHES | By Ana Marie Pamintuan | 1 day ago OK, carping critics, the suggestion to collect rainwater in buckets or balde for filtration into potable water is just one of several measures the government is rolling out or has implemented to address the impact... Opinion Traitors among us By THE CORNER ORACLE | By Andrew J. Masigan | 1 day ago Beijing’s threats are becoming increasingly brazen. On Oct. 15, China’s ambassador declared, “If we want to use force, we may easily win.” This is outright intimidation dressed as diplom... Opinion Arresting an elderly journo, abetting a private army By GOTCHA | By Jarius Bondoc | 1 day ago The arrest of 72-year-old journalist Philip Lustre last Saturday for cyberlibel violated his civil rights and legal processes: Opinion ‘Angry nerds’ By COMMONSENSE | By Marichu A. Villanueva | 1 day ago From all walks of life, civil society organizations (CSOs) and other non-government organizations (NGOs) have finally had their voices heard on their grave common concern on the use of the yearly budget of the national... Opinion EDITORIAL — Budget accountability 2 days ago As the Senate continued deliberations on the proposed national budget for 2027, watchdogs upped their tally of insertions and discretionary funds prone to political patronage in the version of the outlay passed by... Opinion Recommended Prosecution to defense: Don’t delay impeach trial October 29, 2026 - 12:00am Lawyers of Vice President Sara Duterte should not engage in delaying tactics in presenting her defense before the Senate impeachment court, nor should they employ any filibuster methods to drag the case even fu...r OpinionSARASARA DUTERTE Aplasca files reply to direct assault rap October 29, 2026 - 12:00am Former Senate sergeant-at-arms Mao Aplasca has filed his counter-affidavit on the direct assault complaint filed against him over the May 13 Senate shooting. OpinionAPLASCAMAO Marcos: Don't panic over peso fall to P64 per dollar October 28, 2026 - 3:32pm President Marcos Jr. says rising oil prices are weighing on the currency and economy. OpinionBONGBONG MARCOSCURRENCYFOREX Premature to talk about VP replacement – Palace October 28, 2026 - 12:00am It’s premature to talk about a possible replacement for Vice President Sara Duterte while her impeachment trial is ongoing, Malacañang said yesterday. OpinionSARA DUTERTE JV open to inviting budget watchdogs to bicam hearings October 28, 2026 - 12:00am Senate finance committee chairman JV Ejercito is open to inviting civil society organizations to the bicameral conference committee hearings on the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, after the...r OpinionLACSONSENATE next Recommended Prosecution to defense: Don’t delay impeach trial Lawyers of Vice President Sara Duterte should not engage in delaying tactics in presenting her defense before the Senate impeachment court, nor should they employ any filibuster methods to drag the case even further. 23 hours ago SARA SARA DUTERTE Aplasca files reply to direct assault rap Former Senate sergeant-at-arms Mao Aplasca has filed his counter-affidavit on the direct assault complaint filed against him over the May 13 Senate shooting. 23 hours ago APLASCA MAO Marcos: Don't panic over peso fall to P64 per dollar President Marcos Jr. says rising oil prices are weighing on the currency and economy. 1 day ago BONGBONG MARCOS CURRENCY FOREX Premature to talk about VP replacement – Palace It’s premature to talk about a possible replacement for Vice President Sara Duterte while her impeachment trial is ongoing, Malacañang said yesterday. 1 day ago SARA DUTERTE JV open to inviting budget watchdogs to bicam hearings Senate finance committee chairman JV Ejercito is open to inviting civil society organizations to the bicameral conference committee hearings on the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, after the groups flagged up to P1 trillion in potential pork barrel funds in the House of Representatives’ version of the spending bill. 1 day ago LACSON SENATE OK Are you sure you want to log out? Yes No X Login Philstar.com is one of the most vibrant, opinionated, discerning communities of readers on cyberspace. With your meaningful insights, help shape the stories that can shape the country. Sign up now!
