Eastern Visayas – Officials at the regional cacao congress in Eastern Visayas have set an ambitious goal of producing 5,000 metric tons (MT) of dried cacao beans in the next five years, despite low production levels in the past decade.
According to Philippines News Agency, this target is crucial to address the nationwide shortage of cacao beans, which are in increasing demand as the primary ingredient of chocolate.
The DA-8 field operations division chief Rodel Macapanas stated that the local grinding requirement for chocolate manufacturers is 40,000 MT, while the national production is only 10,000 MT. To boost national production to 100,000 MT, the region aims to contribute 5,000 MT in the next five years. Current statistics from the Philippine Statistics Authority show that Eastern Visayas’ cacao farmers harvested just 70.87 MT of dried beans in 2022, a decrease from 114.44 MT a decade earlier. The region currently has 879,366 cacao trees cultivated by 5,672 farmers. To achieve the production goal, the DA plans to improve the average yield by 2 kg of cacao beans per tree annually by enhancing farmers’ skills and expanding plantations.
Department of Trade and Industry 8 Director Celerina Bato highlighted that the region’s cacao industry, though producing low yields, is vibrant and has received significant support in product development and marketing. The Eastern Visayas Cacao Industry Development Council (EVCIDC) roadmap focuses on making quality cacao planting materials more accessible to farmers and rehabilitating the existing 31,000 hectares. Additionally, the plan aims to increase newly planted trees by 7,000 hectares in five years. EVCIDC chair Noel Barquera emphasized the objective of increasing farmers’ gross income to at least PHP130,000 per hectare per year to contribute to inclusive growth and poverty alleviation. Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre pledged support for the local cacao industry, emphasizing the importance of building synergy in the entire cacao value chain.