LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Cacao continues to thrive as a promising industry in the Cordillera showing potential for an additional source of livelihood across the value chain. This was attested by the different regional line agencies and private sector cacao stakeholders during the opening of the First Cordillera Chocolate Festival on February 14, 2024, at the Benguet State University (BSU) closed gymnasium, La Trinidad, Benguet.
The first-of-its-kind regional Chocolate Festival was hosted by Dulche Chocolates, Inc. headed by Chief Executive Officer Eva Ritchelle Padua in cooperation with various cacao agri-stakeholders in the region. Dulche Chocolates, Inc. is a startup funded by the DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) through its Women Helping Women Innovating Social Enterprises Program.
Bannering the theme, “Generating Sustainable Cacao Value Chain”, the festival showcased the different locally-produced cacao products like chocolates, wine, butter, and sweets to continuously inspire and empower the cacao growers and processors in the region. It also serves as a platform for the different regional line agencies to present their programs and projects in support of the cacao industry for the growers and processors to learn and benchmark as well as to connect with the cacao doctors in the different provinces for the continual improvement of the industry as a whole.
Nationwide, cacao production in the region ranked 13th but it ranked first among all the other regions when it comes to quality as highlighted during the 2019 National Search for Best 70% Dark Chocolate held in Davao City, Cordillera DA Regional Cacao Focal Person Mr. Rolando Renegado reported. He added that cacao is the top 10th priority of the agency under the High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) and various interventions have been provided over the years to support the said industry.
At present, the region’s contribution to cacao-dried beans is 0.3%. With the appropriate knowledge and compliance with the cacao protocol manual, interventions, and expected expansion of cacao areas in the region, the region targets to produce 63.27 metric tons (MT) of quality fermented beans by 2025 to contribute to export and domestic markets. The goal is nearly twice the current production which is 32.08 MT.
The DA Regional Technical Director Danilo P. Daguio, who represented Undersecretary for Agro-Industrialization and for Fisheries Cheryl Marie Natividad-Caballero, also underscored that despite the small production area, there is a bright future for cacao.
He emphasized that the DA gives attention to farmers’ requests and project proposals, which are used as bases during the planning and budget activities of the agency. As he assured the participants of the agency’s continuous support to the industry, he also encouraged them, particularly the farmers, to cooperate and comply with the basic requirements such as registration in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and accreditation as a Civil Society Organization (CSO) to qualify for the different government agri-interventions.
Looking forward, the participants were challenged to work together and establish the cacao industry in the Cordillera, primarily the relevant data to back up proposals on additional budgetary allocation focused on the commodity. The availability of updated and reliable data is crucial to moving up the cacao value chain, stressed DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director and Guest Speaker Dr. Enrico Paringit.
Identified challenges being faced by the cacao growers were also presented to align the ongoing efforts and support in order to address these matters.
Other highlights of the 1st Chocolate Festival included the oathtaking of the new officers of the Cacao Growers and Processors Benguet Baguio Federation; distribution of the Cacao Protocol Manual to the different provinces in the region; and the competitions on 100% cacao tablea, 70% dark chocolate, and cacao pod. By Janice B. Agrifino
