DA pledges planting materials to cacao growers

BUTUAN CITY – The Department of Agriculture (DA-Caraga Region 13) has pledged its support to the cacao industry by distributing a total of 31.5 million cacao planting materials up to the year 2022.

During the two-day Mindanao Cacao Link 2017 meeting held at one of the city’s hotel and convention centers here said this will be on top of the targets from other government agencies such as DENR, PCA and DAR.

Support from various government agencies includes post-harvest facilities as well as marketing assistance.

“We are very willing to extend our help for the cacao industry,” pledged DA 13 Regional Executive Director Abel James I. Monteagudo.

“Our objectives are on the same page and that is to help improve the plight of the poor and the convergence that we made here today will help us to be in the right direction in strengthening the industry,” added Monteagudo.

The Mindanao Cacao Link 2017 gathered cacao growers, traders, processors and other industry stakeholders of Mindanao for discussions on how to improve practices in growing, processing, and marketing cacao.

Cacao Link is considered the country’s biggest technical and commercial event for the cacao industry as latest scientific and market re- search developments are showcased by the different players of the cacao chain.

“The creation of the Cacao Industry Development Council in each region has been a big help in developing and strengthening the country’s cacao industry because there is already a convergence of the public and private sectors especially since the council is co-chaired by the Department of Agriculture and other government agencies like the PCA and DENR as members,” said Engr. Edwin Banquerigo, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) National Cacao Cluster coordinator.

According to Banquerigo, the Philippines started practicing the industry clustering approach five years ago and had an average national annual production of 5,000 MT. At present, the country’s average production is at 10,000 – 12,000 MT a year.

On the other hand, Valente Turtur, chairperson of the Philippine Cacao Industry Council (PCIC) also said the council is not merely focusing on the volume of production but rather the quality of the produce.

Thus, training is regularly being conducted to be able to teach farmers to produce quality products. He also said that small cacao farmers should attach with organizations so that they can be assisted with their needs.

Turtur also observed that one of the challenges in developing the industry is not just about financing or the transfer of technology but also about the culture and attitude of the person. “Today we are trying to shift the mindset of everyone that they need to work hard as cacao farming is a source of income. We don’t need to rely on the government for everything. We should also do our part,” he emphasized.

The country, especially the Caraga region promises big potential for cacao production because of its strategic location and ideal weather condition.

Based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Caraga region had a 60 MT production in 2015 with an area planted of 1,252 hectares. Under the region’s Cacao Industry Roadmap 2017-2022, Caraga has a production target of 3,000 MT of dried fermented beans.