DAVAO City – At least five multinational companies engaged in chocolate industry are taking interest on Davao’s cacao products as they set to meet with cacao growers in time for the National Cacao Congress here in September.
They are the US-based Mars Chocolate, Cargill, Barry Collebaut, Dole Itochu, WL Foods, UK and Filipinas Oro de Cacao and RP.
The executive director of the Cacao Industrial Development Council (Cidami), Valente Turtur, said they are the companies that require big volume of cacao beans for production, export and distribution in the world market.
Turtur said the demand for cacao beans in the international market is so huge that at present only 0.2 percent is the contribution of the Philippines with a shortage of about 850,000 metric tons.
According to Turtur, majority of the country’s produce comes from Davao Region and given the world market shortage for cacao beans Davao Region and Mindanao is aiming to supply the market of at least 10 percent more by 2020.
Right now, he said there is a private and government partnership for the propagation of cacao in the region where in 2017 at least 50 million seedlings has been planted and to start producing by 2020.
This partnership is spearheaded by the Mindanao Development Authority, Philippine Coconut Authority, Department of Agriculture and Cidami. Starting this year at least 17 million cacao seedlings will be planted for intercropping in coconut farmlands.
The campaign for intercropping cacao and coconut trees, he said, will be launched nationwide in order to maximize areas planted to coconut in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Meanwhile, Turtur said cacao industry stakeholders will push for the creation of the National Cacao Council in September including a proposed protocol on the production of cacao.
The propagation of the plant must follow certain protocol from ground preparation, planting, operation, maintenance, pest management, harvesting and post-harvest procedures.
“This is important because doing the right steps in production would mean better yield and at the same time meet international requirements,” he said.
He also said that cacao farms either small or big will be issued certification and accreditation of a certifying body that will be part of the steps to be taken in the development of a national council. A certified farm gets better market exposure thus fetching good market price, he said. pna
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