AN AGRIBUSINESS firm executive said they see a growing interest in planting cacao in Mindanao brought about by its success.

“There is so much potential in the cacao industry in the island of Mindanao. With its vast lands there is really much opportunity to grow cacao in different provinces,” Kennemer Foods International general manager Simon Bakker said in an interview on Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at Kennemer Foods International headquarters, Calinan, Davao city.

Bakker said that Dabawenyos now saw this growing business opportunity in cacao as more Dabawenyos are encouraged to plant more chocolate.

“Maybe because of the recent promotions and successes in the cacao industry that’s why they saw the opportunity to plant. The beauty of this city is that Davao has already the culture of planting cacao which is a good basis increasing productivity,” Bakker said.

Bakker added that Kennemer will continue to support their cacao growing programs in promoting to plant cacao.

“We have already cacao growing programs being organized in different parts in Mindanao like Caraga, Misamis Oriental, Dapitan, and Saranggani to plant thousands of cacao seedlings,” Bakker said.

Bakker said before 2010 the focus was just on supplying the beans and having them get brought to different cacao dealers in the island. But since the establishment of Kennemer in Davao by 2010 things had already changed.

“Since 2010 it was shifted into building the chocolate industry, in coming up with more chocolate products and selling them now in bigger markets, and even bringing these products in the international business scene,” Bakker said.

Bakker added that presently, the progress of the cacao industry continues to grow now with the focus on chocolate baking industries in the city through the use fermentation plants to better the taste of Philippine chocolate.