Rising From B3

While there are still SSG funds for coffee, Juan proposed that the government use them for research and development (R&D).

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The country needs new varieties and better farming practices to address the threats of the worsening climate crisis, she explained.

She emphasized that other coffee-producing countries have invested substantially in their respective industries to the point that they have their own research institutes just like in Guatemala.

The DA's high value crops program shares Juan's idea of using a portion of the CEMF to boost R&D efforts in the coffee industry.

The DA unit pointed out that any efforts to improve Filipino coffee farmers' competitiveness would be rendered "incomplete" and "ineffective" without a "significant" and "substantial" R&D spending.

Juan said the government should also consider legislating a guaranteed fund support for coffee farmers amid the current market situations.

The government may legislate a bill akin to what has been done to the rice and salt sectors where tariffs collected — not SSG — will be used to finance programs to support farmers, Juan said.