MikeLigalig.com

by pna

The Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao (CIDAM) is aiming to plant millions of cacao trees in order to meet the high demand for cacao products in the local and international markets.

CIDAM chair Charita Puentespina said several farmers in the Davao Region were trained on the new technology of propagating cacao, given the bright prospects of the agri product in the international market.

She said the Philippines needs at least 55,000 tons annually, 70 percent of which is provided by the Davao Region.

Puentespina said Philippines was the only cacao -drinking country in Asia that's why the demand locally was also substantial, aside from the processed products that would need cacao as raw material.

She said in the 80s, Davao was producing about 40,000 tons a year but figures in 2007 showed that the region's produce was only at 6,000 tons.

With the help of Agricultural Cooperative Development International/Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (ACDI-VOCA), she said they were able to start up with technology transfer to the farmers.

"It is still not that massive but we had been doing it slowly and correctly," she said.

The ACDI-VOCA partners with Mars Chocolate and this resulted to the putting up of a demo farm within the Puentespina Farm in Malagos, Calinan. Mars, which produces the famous chocolate brands like M & M's, Snickers and others need about 100,000 tons of cacao beans.

She said what they started resulted to an initial shipment in November 2008, which drawn interests of other traders from Europe particularly the Netherlands.

The demand was there but we need to plant more trees in order to meet the volume, she said.

Right now in Mindanao, there are only 10,000 hectares with fruit bearing cacao plants even as Puentespina said they wanted to create a Mindanao-brand for cacao.

She estimated that an open space with "madre de cacao" as shade can accommodate some 1,000 seedlings. A tree per year could yield 1.5 kilos of dried cacao beans, she said.

Meanwhile, Puentespina said some of the old cacao trees should be rehabilitated.

She also said the good varieties were still present here and in fact they had registered 15 varieties for accreditation by the National Seed Industry Council.

Among the famous varieties still available here are B12, B25, UF 18, K1, K2, K9, Puentespina said. However, the international market does not specify any variety because the quality of cacao bean comes out during fermentation.

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