Cacao growers seek subsidy, training

CACAO GROWERS in this city are seeking fertilizer subsidy and enhancement training to boost the supply of the beans to meet the demand in the world market, which is now rising. Charita P. Puentespina, founder of the Malagos Chocolate Group under the Puentespina Farms and Malagos Agri-Ventures, Inc. said they have asked Senator Cynthia A. Villar in a recent meeting with her to come up with a fertilizer subsidy and enhancement training program for the Davao farmers. “There is no fertilizer subsidy at the moment. I know of a program of the government the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) that imposed 6% interest,” she said. As for the training program, farmers are also seeking training by technicians and agriculturists of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to include management of farms, new technologies, and cultural practices. Ms. Puentespina said they are coming up with a baseline data on the number of farmers and their families per barangay, which they aim to complete by March. She noted the demand for the bean and its recognition among French, Belgian, and US chocolate makers, among others, and cited Malagos Resorts’ capacity to produce 85 tons of fermented beans per year. Ms. Villar for her part cited a shared facilities program under the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), adding: “So I am asking all associations to request and we will facilitate and forward the request to the DA and DENR....” —