Brewing Peace and Reviving Sulu's Coffee Industry ☕
Published: Aug 20, 2024 Reading time: 4 minutesAs a significant part of their culture, Filipinos have a deep affection for coffee. In the southern Philippines, within the Sulu archipelago, coffee—especially Kahawa Sug (Sulu coffee)—plays a crucial role in the traditions of the Tausug people, one of the largest Moro ethnic groups in Mindanao. Introduced in the 1860s, Kahawa Sug is a name that combines the Arabic word 'qahwah' (for coffee) and the Tausug term 'Sūg' (meaning 'current' and used for the Sulu archipelago), has become an integral part of daily life. Pouring coffee back and forth between cups to cool it down is a cherished ritual. Typically served black, this coffee is enjoyed in Tausug households and local coffee shops, known as kahawaaan, often accompanied by traditional snacks like bangbang or latal.
In the 1990s, the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), a militant organisation known for its terrorist activities, significantly disrupted coffee farming in the region. The instability and violence confined the consumption of Kahawa Sug primarily to local communities and left once-thriving coffee farms abandoned. Areas like Kabbon Takas in Patikul became ASG strongholds and efforts to neutralise the group further impacted the local community's quality of life.
In 2023, after more than two decades of continuous conflict and evacuations, the Philippine military declared the island of Sulu, including Patikul, free from Abu Sayyaf. Residents of Kabbon Takas have since fully returned and begun rebuilding their homes and livelihoods from scratch. Ahajuli A. Ahajani, the chairperson of barangay (the smallest administrative division in the Philippines) Kabbon Takas, recounted the hardships they faced, saying, "We struggled with frequent evacuations, and I almost abandoned the idea of coming back out of fear for our lives."
Revitalising Coffee Farming
Sulu's naturally fertile soil supports the growth of coffee, producing around 7,300 metric tons annually. According to the recent Market Chain Value Assessment Report in Sulu and Basilan, conducted by People in Need Philippines in 2021, Sulu ranked third among the top 10 coffee-producing provinces in the Philippines, contributing 8.1% to national production. It also ranked first in producing Excelsa and Liberica varieties and third for Arabica and Robusta nationwide. Patikul has been a leading coffee-producing municipality in Sulu.
Despite high production rates, most coffee remains local to Mindanao. The conflict in Muslim Mindanao has kept this gem hidden from the rest of the country and hindered external interventions, including training on coffee production, processing, and marketing.
Kabbon Takas in Patikul is one of the 20 barangays selected for coffee farming under the Leveraging and Expanding Agri-Aqua Production in Bangsamoro (LEAP) project. This initiative, funded by the European Union, aims to improve the quality and diversity of coffee production in Sulu and Basilan through better access to inputs, extension services, processing facilities, and financial services. According to Ahajani, this is the first time an organisation has intervened in coffee farming in their barangay.
The LEAP team has conducted initial training in Kabbon Takas focused on planting, including coffee rejuvenation and fertilisation demonstrations. Ninety-four farmers, including fifty-four women, attended the training. Ahajani expressed gratitude for the intervention, saying, "Nobody has yet dared to enter our barangay for coffee interventions. If PIN had not come here, we would have stuck to our traditional ways and never improved the quality of our coffee in Patikul."
"Here, we only know the 'armalite' method (a local term for the single pass stripping method of coffee harvesting). We look forward to more training that PIN and MARADECA (Maranao People Development Center Inc.) have mentioned. We really want to improve our knowledge in coffee processing and eventually export our coffee," Ahajani exclaimed.
Although the traditional method has been passed down through generations, farmers are willing to adopt new techniques to improve the quality of their coffee and explore export opportunities.
Market Assessment Value Chain Study
The Market Assessment Value Chain Study in Basilan and Sulu showed a low awareness and application of Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) among coffee farmers in the region, including non-practice of pruning, non-rejuvenation of old coffee trees, and immoderate diversification. These factors have affected the quality and production of coffee beans. Small farmers' limited technical and financial capacity in proper harvest, post-harvest, and processing techniques (e.g., picking, fermenting, drying, sorting) also hinders their ability to compete with export-quality coffee. The long history of isolation has left smallholders and local associations in Sulu with no direct access to larger markets or corporate buyers.
The LEAP project aims to address these significant challenges by providing much-needed training and support to improve coffee production and quality in Sulu. The project will also help farmers access broader markets and increase their income.
According to farmer and leader Ahajani, farmers still have a long way to go to improve Kabbon Takas’ coffee production and processing. However, he is optimistic that this is the start of something bigger. With the help of LEAP, residents of Kabbon Takas, Patikul, and Sulu are ready to brew peace and revive the kahawa sug industry in Sulu.
