WORLD experts of the cacao industry will share their technical knowledge on the fast-rising globally competitive crop during the three-day Kakao Konek 2016: Asia Pacific Cocoa Conference slated on September 15 to 17 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Lanang Premier, Davao City.
Speakers from Europe, USA, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore will shed light on the global trends and updates on the cacao industry.
For this year, the Cacao Industry Development Association (Cidami) will host this year's international gathering of cacao industry players within Asia and the Pacific.
Val Turtur, executive director of Cidami, said they are expecting about a thousand participants in the Asia Pacific Cacao Congress.
Apart from the lectures, other conference highlights include product exhibit, chocolate processing, and farm tour with demo.
"Well maintained farm with drainage, irrigation and well space. Mono crop (spacing: 3 x 2.6), impressive yield per hectare and the protocols? Let's find out during Kakao Konek," he said.
Turtur said the conference is a huge gathering where industry players, from buyers, traders, farmers, officers of government organizations and private institutions, "converge to significantly tackle relevant steps and actions essential in enhancing the production and improve the business development of cacao here.
Last August, Turtur attended a technical and business conference at Centro de Convencionales de Guayaquil, Ecuador witnessing the awarding of best Ecuadorian cacao beans won by Hacienda de San Jose, a 300 hectare-farm.
Upgrade in global chain
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) director for Davao City and the coordinator for the DTI National Cacao Industry Cluster said the cacao industry in the Philippines "must be upgraded to the global chain."
"We need to look at the Asean on how to link our efforts and move up to the global chain," Banquerigo said.
Cacao leaders also push for the country's need to meet the target of product efficiency by producing "2 kilos of beans per tree per year as against the current production, which is still at 1 kilo of beans per tree per year."
Cacao roadmap
A collective final version of the Philippine Cacao Roadmap, a guiding document essential to achieve the industry's goals and targets has been drafted and finalized last April of this year.
"We have finally drafted the final version of the cacao roadmap. It is very essential to have this unified roadmap in order for all of the stakeholders to meet with one common goal and be guided," Valente Val Turtur, executive director of the Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao Inc. (Cidami) said.
The final version of the roadmap is composed of the current industry's situation, directions and strategies to achieve the industry's goals.
"The vision of the roadmap is to achieve sustainable and locally and globally competitive cacao industry in the country. We also intend to improve the income of the farmers into cacao farming," Turtur added.
The roadmap laid out, according to him that in order to realize its vision, continued comprehensive forums and technical assistance will be provided to farmers and a strengthened National Cacao Council shall be acted upon. The training, labeling and processing of cacao farmers and products were also identified.
As of 2015, Philippines cacao production was at 14,000 metric tons (MT). Of the figure, 12,000 MT was contributed by Davao Region.