KEY stakeholders of the Philippine cacao industry gathered on Friday, June 27, 2025, at the Cebu Grand Hotel, Vibo Place for the Convergence Cacao Workshop, where they unveiled the industry's Five-Year Cacao Development Plan, a major milestone in the formulation of the Cacao Roadmap 2026–2030.
Aimed at aligning the priorities of cacao farmers, industry leaders, government agencies, and technical experts, the workshop is a pivotal component of the roadmap's development.
At the core of the event was the concept of “Convergeance,” a coined term representing the unified collaboration of stakeholders in vision, strategy, and implementation.
Dr. Barlaan, professor emeritus of the University of Southern Mindanao (USM), facilitated the workshop with the assistance of a writer who documented and synthesized the inputs into a working draft.
The draft will serve as the foundation for discussions at the upcoming National Cacao Congress 2025 (NCC25).
There, stakeholder groups from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao will provide additional input before the final version is submitted to Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. for approval before the end of December 2025.
Cacao Workshop was spearheaded by the Philippine Cacao Industry Council (PCIC) and the Philippine Cacao Industry Association (PCIA) in response to the directive of Laurel.
The DA tasked PCIC and PCIA to lead the formulation of the roadmap, with support from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the DA’s regional and provincial offices.
To ensure inclusivity, a series of Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted where they gathered input from grassroots stakeholders, making it responsive to both local and national industry needs.
The Five-Year Development Plan includes a clear agreement among stakeholders to converge their programs and synchronize efforts in production, processing, marketing, and export.
According to organizers, this strategy seeks to strengthen the entire cacao value chain, improve competitiveness, and increase the income of Filipino cacao farmers through the use of science-based, harmonized technologies.
The cacao industry works on with just one goal: “A united, converged plan that will produce the best quality cacao beans and chocolates for the global and local competitive market giving cacao farmers the best income through the use of harmonized technologies.”
The final Cacao Roadmap 2026–2030 will integrate all outputs from the workshop, FGDs, and the NCC25, laying down a comprehensive strategy to elevate the Philippine cacao industry toward sustained growth and global excellence. (Ashley Judd F. Alon, UV intern/With Frances Ibo, VSU intern)