THE Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao Inc. (Cidami) is pushing for a National Cacao Council (NCC), an institutionalized government agency to oversee the growing cacao industry in the country.
"We are planning to form a council that will oversee from the production, planting to the export process of the cacao products since at present we do not have an institutionalized office to hold the industry together," said Valente Turtur, chairman of Cacao Industry Council and Cidami executive director.
He added that the council will be composed of the cacao industry players and officials from different government agencies like Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Philippine Coconut Authority, among others.
The formation of the NCC will be one of the highlights during the KakaoKonek 2015 or National Cacao Congress, which will be on September 11-12 at the SMX Convention Center with over 500 cacao exporters, traders, growers, and technicians expected to participate in the event.
The Cacao Double-Up Program of the Mindanao Development Authority, Cacao branding and the business matching of multinational cacao export companies will also take centerstage during the congress.
"The original target of the Philippine Cacao industry to produce 100,000 metric tons (MT) production out of the 50 million seedlings in 2020 will be doubled in accordance with the Minda's project resulting in 200,000 MT production of 100 million seedlings," Turtur said.
He is confident that the targets will be met as other areas are now also planting cacao.
"Before, only Mindanao is planting Cacao but now, we have Abra, Quezon province and the rest of the country," he said.
At present, the country has 23,000 hectares of cacao producing area, 21,000 hectares of which are in Mindanao.
With the target of 200,000 MT cacao production in 2020, the cacao seedlings will be intercropped with the coconut trees.
"This will help the farmers because if it (cacao) will be intercropped with the coconuts, the income will be doubled or even tripled," he said.
With the projected shortage of about one million MT in 2017, the Philippine Cacao industry is targeting to contribute 10 percent to fill the shortage by 2020.
The industry now generates 14,000 MT since 2011, a 14 percent completion of its 100,000 MT original target for 2020.
"With the original plan, 50 million cacao seeds should be planted by 2017 to meet the 100,000MT target," Turtur said, adding they are focusing with the original plan but measures are now made to meet the double-up project.