Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao (CIDAMI) executive director Val Turtur. (PNA file photo)
DAVAO CITY--The head of the Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao (CIDAMI) has appealed to Agriculture Secretary William Dar to look into the concerns of the sector, primarily in closing the gap between resources and actual production.
CIDAMI executive director Val Turtur made the appeal Monday as he pointed out that the discrepancy between the sector's production output and the resources being used to increase yield.
Turtur cited that by the end of 2018, the Department of Agriculture (DA) and other government agencies which assist cacao growers over the years reported that some 80 million seedlings have been distributed and planted in various parts of the country.
Figures released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in the same year, however, only showed less than 7,000 metric tons of total cacao production, he said.
Industry figures, he said, reported some 12,000 metric tons of total production in 2018.
"Given the data, I think the seedlings, after several years, were not translated into cacao beans because the country's production is still very low," he pointed out.
"The reported 80 million seedlings planted could have produced 80,000 metric tons of cacao beans on the average ratio of one kilo per tree per year or perhaps considering survival ratio, it would be safe to have at least half in terms production volume," he added.
At an average of PHP30 per seedling, he said the 80 million seedlings could easily translate into PHP2.4 billion.
Turtur said the cacao sector has not faced any problem on planting materials "because those were taken cared of by the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippine Coconut Authority, and the Department of Agrarian Reform."
He said growers may need technical assistance on improving the survival rates of planted seedlings.
"We want the secretary to look into the matter and check on the gap between resources and production because we want to see things on the ground," he said.
Turtur said Dar may start with the cacao industry roadmap that has been submitted to the agency to address the issue.
He said the roadmap was "based on consultation with various groups and one of those points mentioned was to increase production by 40 percent each year."
The DA can also provide, he said, the appointment of a "commodity coordinator" who will focus on the sector's concerns and problems.
"We expect that the secretary will appoint a focal person who really knows agriculture by heart and could handle the program, not just through lip service," he said.
Davao Region, a major producer of cacao in the country, could benefit from major reforms that the roadmap has already proposed for DA's action, Turtur said.
"An investor is eyeing to put up a grinding facility for cacao powder and for processing of cocoa butter but we do not have the beans," he said, citing a lost opportunity that could have been addressed if the sector had been able to ramp up production.
Turtur said Dar will be in Davao City for the "Cacao Summit" on August 23, 2019 to be held at Grand Regal Hotel here.
He said the summit will be participated in by industry players, farmers, chocolate stakeholders in Davao, and other cacao players in Mindanao and from other parts of the country.
"This is a good opportunity for us to air our issues and concerns," he added. (PNA)
