In the Philippines, there is a renewed enthusiasm for the popular global drink of coffee.

It is an enormously important international commodity and in recognition of the importance of coffee, the government in the city has entered into an agreement with the German Development Cooperation, to increase coffee planting in the area.

This was reported in the local online press, Sun Star Tacloban.

So what’s the plan?

In twelve of the mountain villages, it is intended to plant some 7,000 seedlings.

Planting has already taken place in three of the villages and it is intended that the other barangays will also be planted before the year is out.

These areas were picked by the German Development Cooperation and were declared part of the Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus territories.

It is intended to plant 1,000 hectares over the next eight years.

Although there will be a concentration on coffee, there will also be plantations of various fruit trees, including cacao, durian and mangosteen.

The rationale behind the planting of all this coffee is obviously to boost the country’s coffee industry.

This, in turn, will ‘contribute to food security.’