CHOCOLATES can be another big tourism product for Cebu.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Puyat urged Cebuanos to accelerate cacao farming as this will open huge opportunities in Cebu, especially for tourism.
In her recent visit to Cebu, the tourism secretary pointed out that besides attracting tourists who are into farm tourism, turning these cacao beans into high-quality chocolates can be another attractive come-on for tourists to explore the province.
“You have good cacao here in Balamban, really top-notch. I think it is the criollo variety that is the most rare and you have it here in Cebu,” said Puyat.
Cebu is home to criollo, the “cacao bisaya,” a superior quality cacao which has a strong, aromatic bittersweet taste and rich texture, the Cebu Provincial Government claims.
Cacao varieties in the Philippines also include forastero, a high-yield variety, and trinitario, a hybrid of criollo and forastero.
During her previous stint with the Department of Agriculture (DA), Puyat said she went to Balamban together with entrepreneur Racquel Choa of The Chocolate Chamber to meet cacao growers. She said the DA has extended assistance to the cacao farmers to address supply concerns.
Puyat said Cebu’s cacao beans are being exported to Belgium, a country known for producing high quality chocolates.
She hopes Cebu’s own cacao-based chocolates would be marketed aggressively so it could gain global traction, in the same way Cebu dried mangoes and fresh seafood are known overseas.
“They don’t grow cacao in Europe so they get it either from African countries or from the Philippines. So all eyes are here,” she said.
Citing data from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Cebu Provincial Government said Cebu’s production of cacao beans increased in 2014 compared to 2013, from 11.59 to 17.34 metric tons (MT).
Under Cebu’s cacao roadmap developed through the Provincial Agriculturist’s Office and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), Cebu is expected to hit a 20-MT production by 2020.
The PDRRMO has conducted cacao trainings for 1,221 farmers in 20 cities and municipalities.
The training was done in the cities of Danao, Naga and Talisay, and the towns of Minglanilla, Argao, San Francisco, Barili, Borbon, Alegria, Ronda, San Fernando, Aloguinsan, Pinamungajan, Alcoy, Santa Fe, Tudela, Daanbantayan, Tuburan, Boljoon and Consolacion.
At present, the Province said Danao City, Argao and Alegria already have their respective cacao nurseries.
According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), the local average annual cacao consumption stood at 50,000 MT while local supply is only around 10,000 MT.
To supply the gap in the global demand, the local industry players should meet DA’s goal of increasing local production to 100,000 MT of dried cacao beans by 2022.
This means the country needs to harvest from around 100 million cacao trees.
Under the National Cacao Roadmap, cacao farmers’ income is expected to increase to P130,000 per hectare per year, increase export earnings by at least $250 million per year, and generate at least 150,000 jobs by 2022. (KOC)