DTI to help find buyers for coffee, cocoa farmers

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-7) is poised to assist the development of cocoa and coffee producers in the region by helping farmers find direct buyers of their products.

These twin products are two of the six priorities of DTI Central Visayas that will be given utmost attention and assistance from the government, said DTI-7 regional director Asteria Caberte.

The provincial offices of DTI within the region are going to identify the producers of the coffee and cocoa products, together with wearables, homestyle, processed fruits, nuts, rubber and coco coir.

Meanwhile, in one of her visits to Cebu, Senator Cynthia Villar vowed to push the passage of senate bill 320, otherwise known as Cacao Industry Development Act, in order to immediately harness the country's potential to reap good earnings from cacao.

While the bill mainly focused on the development of cacao farming and production the country, Villar said the bill will also integrate the development coffee farming, as these two crops can be a good inter-crop partners which gigantic market opportunities here and abroad.

Passed during the 17th Congress in 2016, bill 320 is an act establishing national program for the Cacao Industry providing funds and other necessary support based on the cacao industry roadmap.

The Philippines is only producing 10 thousand to 12 thousand metric tons of dried cacao beans a year, short of 20 thousand metric tons in order to meet the domestic requirement of at least 30 metric tons a year. This does not include however the consistent double growth demand from the export market.

Despite the Philippines rich and fertile soils to grow high-value cacao beans, only about 30 thousand Filipinos are producing cacao, while other crops grown like coffee and coconut can also take advantage of this opportunity, via inter-cropping method.

Caberte said DTI will also help coffee and cacao producers to connect with the markets, as well other technical trainings like packaging among others.

The Philippines is one of the two countries in the world (the other is Columbia) considered to produce best cacao beans because it is on the Equator.

On the other hand, the Department of Agriculture (DA) had been announcing its support to boost the coffee farming sector in the Philippines, the Department of Tourism (DOT) and DTI are intensifying their programs geared towards development of coffee production and market expansion.