Sultan Kudarat Coffee: The Province Behind 44% of PH Output

By Robin Salvador, co-founder, Caffeine Brothers
Last updated: October 25, 2026

Quick answer: Sultan Kudarat coffee is coffee grown in Sultan Kudarat province in SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XII), Mindanao. It is the biggest coffee-producing province in the Philippines. In 2025 it produced 15,689.08 tonnes of green coffee beans, 44.0% of the national total, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Most of it is Robusta, but the province also grew more Arabica than any other province, and its Robusta farmers in Senator Ninoy Aquino, Kalamansig and Lebak have topped the national quality competition.

Where is Sultan Kudarat, and where is the coffee grown?

Sultan Kudarat is a province in south-central Mindanao. PhilAtlas lists a land area of 5,363.86 km², a 2020 population of 854,052, and 11 municipalities plus the city of Tacurong. The capital is Isulan. It borders Maguindanao, Cotabato, Davao del Sur, South Cotabato and Sarangani, and faces the Celebes Sea and Moro Gulf on its western side.

A 2020 DOST-PCAARRD article calls Senator Ninoy Aquino, Kalamansig and Lebak the province’s “three major coffee-producing municipalities.” PSA publishes coffee data only down to the province, so we cannot split the provincial totals by town.

How much coffee does Sultan Kudarat produce?

PSA’s OpenSTAT tables give a clear picture for 2025. The table below compares the province with the national total. Yield per hectare and per tree are our own calculations from PSA’s production, area and bearing-tree figures.

Sultan Kudarat has been the biggest producer for years. In 2010 it already grew 11,394.66 t, 24.1% of the national total. What changed is the gap. National output fell from 47,268.01 t in 2010 to a low of about 30,000 t a year from 2018 to 2023, while Sultan Kudarat held between roughly 8,000 and 12,000 t. Then the province jumped to 13,745.45 t in 2024 (up 39.0%) and 15,689.08 t in 2025 (up another 14.1%).

This matters for anyone reading headlines about a Philippine coffee recovery. National production rose 18.7% from 2023 to 2025, an increase of 5,622.25 t. Sultan Kudarat alone added 5,799.78 t. Outside the province, output went from 20,134.09 t to 19,956.56 t. Without Sultan Kudarat, Philippine coffee production in 2025 was 44.4% lower than in 2010.

Why did Sultan Kudarat’s output jump in 2024 and 2025?

PSA’s area table shows most of the answer. Robusta area in the province grew from 16,492.80 ha in 2023 to 21,407.80 ha in 2024 and 25,902.80 ha in 2025, a 57.1% increase in two years. Bearing Robusta trees rose from 15,067,740 to 19,898,550 over the same period. Robusta output followed, from 7,301.17 t in 2023 to 11,627.45 t in 2025.

Government projects have also targeted yields. DOST-PCAARRD approved a project called “Enhancing Coffee Production in Sultan Kudarat” in 2019, led by Sultan Kudarat State University with DTI, DOST Sultan Kudarat and Nestlé Philippines as partners. It worked with 60 farmer cooperators in Senator Ninoy Aquino, Kalamansig and Lebak on high-yielding clones, rejuvenating old trees, proper fertilization and an all-weather dryer. Its stated aim was to raise yields from 0.5 to 1.5 tonnes of green beans per hectare. (The same 2020 article also mentions a 0.3 to 2.1 t/ha target; a 2023 PCAARRD page repeats only the 0.5 to 1.5 figure.) We found no published results from the project, so we cannot say how much of the jump it explains.

Why are Sultan Kudarat’s yields so high?

On PSA’s numbers, Sultan Kudarat gets almost twice the national output per hectare. The gap is largest for Arabica.

The Arabica figures are worth a closer look. PSA shows Sultan Kudarat’s Arabica area falling from 6,700 ha (2010 to 2016) to 3,028 ha in 2025, down 54.8%. Arabica output fell much less: from 4,691.88 t in 2015 to 4,061.39 t in 2025, down 13.4%. The result is 1.34 t of Arabica per hectare and 1.41 kg per bearing tree, against national averages of 0.52 t and 0.74 kg. PSA also lists the same number of bearing Arabica trees (2,876,600) for both 2024 and 2025. We found no source that explains why the province’s Arabica area shrank while yield rose so sharply, so treat the per-hectare Arabica number with some caution.

What do Sultan Kudarat farmers get paid for their coffee?

PSA’s farmgate price table shows Sultan Kudarat farmers getting well above the national average, especially for Arabica. These are prices for green coffee beans, the dried and hulled seed before roasting.

Two things stand out. Sultan Kudarat’s ₱500.00 Arabica price in 2025 was almost double the national average of ₱264.65. And while the national Robusta price slid from ₱228.03 in January 2026 to ₱168.83 in June, the province’s Robusta price stayed between ₱233.16 and ₱280.00, ending June at ₱280.00. PSA does not explain the gap. Quality premiums are one possible reason, given the competition results below, but that is our reading, not a finding in the data.

How has Sultan Kudarat coffee done in national competitions?

The Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC), organised by DTI, the Department of Agriculture and the Barista and Coffee Academy of Asia, has run since 2018. Sultan Kudarat Robusta has done very well in it.

In 2026, Ilocos Sur farmers took all 12 places in the Robusta “naturals” category, and Mindanao farmers took 10 of the 12 Arabica places, led by Gloria Lagawan of Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, with 86.41. Sultan Kudarat did not appear among the 2026 Arabica winners in the MindaNews report. DTI Region 12’s director said in 2024 that the shift “from commercial to fine or specialty coffee allows farmers to sell their produce at a higher price.”

How to read Sultan Kudarat coffee data in five steps

1. Check the unit. PSA reports both dried berries and green coffee beans. The figures here are green coffee beans, which is the basis buyers and roasters use.
2. Check the species. About three quarters of the province’s coffee is Robusta. A headline about Sultan Kudarat’s total output is mostly a Robusta story.
3. Separate the province from the region. SOCCSKSARGEN produced 16,675.73 t in 2025, but 94.1% of that came from Sultan Kudarat.
4. Compare like with like on price. Farmgate prices are for green beans at the farm. Roasted coffee loses weight in the roaster and carries roasting, packing and delivery costs, so retail prices per kilo are much higher.
5. Watch the revisions. PSA updates these tables. The numbers here were read on October 25, 2026 from tables last updated in August and September 2026.

Where does this leave coffee buyers?

If you buy Philippine coffee, a large share of the Robusta in the market now comes from one province. That makes Sultan Kudarat’s weather, prices and buyers important for everyone, including roasters who source elsewhere. For a wider view of prices, see our guide to coffee prices in the Philippines. For other Mindanao origins, read our pages on Bukidnon coffee and Davao coffee.

Caffeine Brothers does not sell Sultan Kudarat coffee. Our Robusta and Kapeng Barako (Liberica) are from Batangas and our Arabica is from Benguet. On October 25, 2026, our Batangas Robusta cost ₱231 for 200 g or ₱813 a kilo (about ₱8.13 for a 10 g cup), and our Benguet Arabica cost ₱292 for 200 g or ₱1,068 a kilo (about ₱10.68 a cup).

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Non-Food and Industrial Crops: Volume of Production, by Region, Province, Quarter, and Semester, 2010 to 2026. PSA OpenSTAT, table 0072E4EVCP1, updated August 28, 2026. Used for green coffee production by province and type, 2010 to 2025.
2. Non-Food and Industrial Crops: Area Planted/Harvested. PSA OpenSTAT, table 0092E4EAHM1, updated September 1, 2026. Used for coffee area by type and yield per hectare.
3. Non-Food and Industrial Crops: Number of Bearing Trees. PSA OpenSTAT, table 0122E4EBTM1, updated August 28, 2026. Used for bearing trees and output per tree.
4. Commercial Crops: Farmgate Prices by Commodity, Region and Province. PSA OpenSTAT, table 0032M4AFN08, updated August 28, 2026. Used for 2023 to 2026 green Arabica and Robusta farmgate prices.
5. Sultan Kudarat province profile. PhilAtlas. Used for land area, 2020 population, capital and municipalities.
6. DOST-PCAARRD to enhance coffee production in Sultan Kudarat. Yolanda M. Tanyag, DOST-PCAARRD, August 20, 2020. Used for the 2019 project, partners, 60 farmer cooperators, the three municipalities and the yield targets.
7. S&T Community-Based Farm (STCBF) on Enhancing Coffee Production in Sultan Kudarat. DOST-PCAARRD ISP platform, November 10, 2023. Used for the 0.5 to 1.5 t/ha target and the technologies introduced.
8. Region 12 coffee bags award for best Robusta in the Philippines. DTI Region 12, June 13, 2024. Used for the 2024 PCQC Robusta winners from Senator Ninoy Aquino and the regional director’s quote.
9. SOCCSKSARGEN coffee bags five awards in PCQC. DA Regional Field Office 12, June 9, 2024. Used for the 2024 scores of 86.45 and 86.43.
10. Mindanao farmers dominate coffee quality competition. Bobby Timonera, MindaNews, June 8, 2026. Used for the 2026 PCQC results, scores, organisers and categories.
11. Caffeine Brothers shop prices. Checked October 25, 2026 through the store’s product feed. Used for our Robusta and Arabica prices.

Looking for Philippine coffee you can order today? Try our Batangas Robusta or Benguet Arabica, roasted daily and delivered nationwide, or browse the full shop. Buying for a café or office? See wholesale or contact us.