TACURONG CITY, Sultan Kudarat (PIA) — Once primarily recognized for its large coffee production, Sultan Kudarat is now making headlines for both its output and the quality of its beans.
In 2023, the province emerged as the leading coffee producer in the Philippines, surpassing the combined output of Batangas, Cavite, and Bukidnon.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority in Region 12 indicated that Sultan Kudarat contributes 35 percent of the country’s total coffee supply. Of the 26,172 hectares of coffee farms in the region, 78 percent, or 20,437 hectares, are located in Sultan Kudarat.
The province also has the highest number of coffee trees in the region, with an estimated total of approximately 19 million.
“Sultan Kudarat used to be known for quantity, but now, it also leads in quality,” according to Ramon Jerry Cabalce, president of the Filipino Coffee Institute.
At the recent 2025 Kape Dose Coffee Quality Competition, 81 out of 90 entries of Robusta coffee from Sultan Kudarat were classified as Fine Robusta—a quality grade recognized worldwide.
“Iba na talaga, on the farm-level pa lang, alam na ng mga farmers natin ang gagawin. They are not submitting for compliance, they are submitting because they know what is quality,” Cabalce added.
((Our farmers now understand quality at the farm level. They’re no longer just complying with requirements — they know what good coffee means.)
This reputation was further solidified by the success of local farmers like Reyjohn Basco and Rebecca Gacayan, whose beans have earned both national and international acclaim.
Gacayan’s Sultan Coffee recently won the Gourmet Medal at the AVPA Paris Gourmet competition, while Basco’s Seven R Coffee was named Best Robusta Coffee in the Philippine Coffee Quality Competition in 2024.
AVPA, a Paris-based non-profit organization, organizes an annual international contest for producers of coffee, tea, oil, and chocolate to recognize and promote excellence in agricultural products.
Fred Fredeluces, a member of the Region 12 Coffee Council, stated that the province benefits from its expansive coffee farms and a longstanding tradition of coffee cultivation.
“Other provinces are turning their farmlands into commercial areas. But in Sultan Kudarat we are still expanding. We deserve to be called the coffee capital of the Philippines,” he said.
Meanwhile, provincial agriculturist Estella Hallegado disclosed that the province is collaborating with Vietnamese experts to establish local nurseries and introduce better-yielding coffee plants.
“We have the land. Our focus now is improving productivity,” she said.
Hallegado affirmed that the provincial government, headed by Gov. Pax Ali Mangudadatu, is committed to enhancing support for coffee growers to ensure sustainable growth and to attract younger farmers to the industry. (ORVR, PIA Region 12)
