EXPANSION AREA. Fe Oguio, Davao City Agriculturist Office (CAgro) cacao focal person, bares in a press briefing Wednesday (July 5, 2023) that some 8,000 hectares of land in the city’s Paquibato and Marilog districts are available for cacao expansion to address low production. She points out that Davao Region produces 80 percent of the country’s 12,000 metric tons of cacao beans annually. (PNA photo by Che Palicte)
DAVAO CITY – At least 8,000 hectares of land in the Paquibato and Marilog districts here are made available for cacao expansion to address the problem of low cacao beans production, the City Agriculturist Office (CAgro) said Wednesday.
In a press briefing, CAgro cacao focal person Fe Oguio said land appropriation will help increase the production of cacao beans, noting that the region produces 80 percent of the country’s 12,000 metric tons of cacao beans annually.
Of the 80 percent, she said at least 32 percent of the national production came from Davao City.
“We have the advantage of expanding since buyers are coming to Davao City. That’s our big opportunity, however, since then, when we started (cacao farming), we don’t have enough volume produced,” she said.
However, Oguio noted that "the volume is still not enough even for our local consumption because the country needs around 50,000 MT a year."
Among the challenges confronted by cacao farmers are the high input costs, she said.
To address the concerns of cacao farmers, Oguio said the local government provided technical support on production programs such as the provision of planting materials to expand the area planted to cacao.
“We also conducted training and constantly collaborated with other partner agencies and private sectors to help farmers access assistance and program,” she added.
To offset the high input cost, she said CAgro office provides training on how to produce bio-fertilizers to reduce the farmers’ operational costs and utilize the available resources in their farms.
“With the declaration of being the Cacao Capital of the Philippines, we need to step up to the title. There are a lot of processors, the opportunity is there, so we have to help the farmers,” she said.
In 2021, then-President Rodrigo Duterte signed a law declaring Davao Coty as the “Chocolate Capital of the Philippines” and the entire Davao Region (Region 11) as the “Cacao Capital of the Philippines.”
Republic Act 115471 recognizes the importance of cacao as a driver of rural development due to its potential as a raw material that can increase the country's export earnings tremendously. (PNA)
