A LAWMAKER has promised to pass this year the bill that seeks to establish a national program for the cacao industry.
Sen. Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the committees on agriculture and food, environment and natural resources, and agrarian reform, made this announcement during the National Cacao Congress which opened in Cebu City yesterday.
In her keynote speech before a gathering of over 600 cacao stakeholders from across the country, Villar said Senate Bill 320, or the Cacao Industry Development Act, is already scheduled for hearing at the Senate this Sept. 5.
The lawmaker said the bill seeks to revive the dwindling cacao industry of the country and participate in the international markets for added income to farmers.
It aims to create a national program which will gather government agencies to work with the Department of Agriculture for the education and training of cacao stakeholders, and to pursue research and development studies, and access to finance, technology and marketing promotions, among others.
The senator said these are “exciting times” for the country’s cacao growers and processors as global demand for cacao continue to increase, presenting huge opportunities for local players.
Cacao’s growing demand is due to increased awareness of its health benefits, rising chocolate consumption, and wider range of applications in food and beverage, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals as well as the rising disposal income of consumers.
It is projected that the global requirement for cacao will reach 4.7 million metric tons (MT) to five million MT by 2020, while a shortfall of one million MT is projected in the same year as the supply gap continues to exist due to production constraints brought about by changing weather conditions, low productivity, unsustainable cacao farming practices, and aging trees, among others.
“But the Philippines is well positioned to fill the supply gap,” said Villar, noting that the Philippines in general is a good place to grow cacao because it is located on the equator, which gives it high chances to produce high quality cacao beans.
French manufacturer
Last month, Villar visited the headquarters of French chocolate manufacturer Valrhona in Tain l’Hermitage, France and invited the Valrhona officials to visit the Philippines to taste and see the country’s cacao this October.
According to Villar, the country through its embassy submitted samples of cacao-based chocolates to Valrhona and passed its quality standards.
Valrhona, according to a press statement, is the most prestigious chocolate manufacturer in France with a selective sourcing policy. It currently sources cacao from only 18 countries and is actively looking for other possible sources of cacao for its production of premium, gourmet chocolate. The Philippines hopes to be one of the future sources of Valrhona chocolate.
“Now that we’ve got Valrhona’s stamp of approval, papasa tayo sa lahat (we will pass all other standards),” said the senator.
The Philippines ranks 18th among cacao-producing nations.
While global demand for cacao continues to surge, so has local demand. Villar said the country is producing from 10,000 MT to 12,000 MT of dried cacao beans vis-vis the local demand of 30,000 MT.
Last March 7, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry signed the 2016-2022 Harmonized National Cacao Industry Roadmap which targets to produce 100,000 MT of dried cacao beans by 2022 to make a dent in the global market.
However, this is far from Indonesia’s output of 500,000 MT yearly. It is currently the third largest cacao producer in the world after Ivory Coast and Ghana.