Cacao industry roadmap underway

CEBU, Philippines - A roadmap for the development of Cebu's cacao industry is now being finalized by the provincial government.

Draft of the roadmap is being worked on by the Provincial Agriculturist Office and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

Eric Lopez, information head at PDRRMO, said yesterday at the sidelines of the cacao stakeholders forum that Cebu Governor Davide is expected to issue an executive order to finalize the roadmap and create the  Provincial Cacao Industry Council.

Lopez said the roadmap will be finalized within this month.

The draft has identified key issues that hamper the growth of the cacao industry in Cebu and these include low level of technical skills among farmers, lack of financing, inadequate supply of good quality seedling materials, low farm productivity and lack of skills on cacao fermentation, among others.

Lopez said the planned provincial industry council is aimed to gather concerned government agencies and the private sector to help address the issues identified.

The roadmap aims to increase cacao production in Cebu to 1133.61 metric tons by 2020 from the current 10.58 MT.

It also targets to have 527,660 cacao trees planted in Cebu from the current 419,660.

By 2020, the roadmap expects income generated from the cacao industry to reach P172.3 million.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, Cebu produced only 64.18 MT of cacao beans from 2010 to 2014.

Areas planted to cacao in Cebu from 2012 to 2015 reached 2,187.82 hectares.

Lopez said the domestic cacao market is undersupplied and that Cebu can take advantage of this growing demand for cacao not just locally but also globally.

Edwin Banquerigo, Department of Trade and Industry's National Cacao Industry Cluster coordinator, said supply gap continue to exist due to production constraints bright by climate change, pests and diseases, low productivity, aging trees, competing crops and unsustainable cacao farms, among other factors.

Currently, Philippine cacao production only stands at 10-12,000 MT.

Banquerigo said world cacao demand has nearly tripled since 1970 growing at an annual rate of 3 percent, with China and India growing at 7.9 percent. — (FREEMAN)