On Monday, 07 September 2020, Secretary of Agriculture William Dar declared Davao City “The Cacao Capital of the Philippines[1]” (Che Palicte, 08 September 2020, PNA). (upper image, Har Gian Facebook sharing) “The city has been a consistent major producer of cacao beans in the entire Davao region, producing a total of 2,290 metric tons from 2015 to 2019.”
“(Mr) Dar congratulated Mayor Sara Z Duterte for her leadership and recognized the efforts of the Department of Trade and Industry in advancing the cacao industry in the Davao region.” Mr Dar promised that the DA will help the private sector and urged Filipinos to invest more in cacao.
For her part, Mayor Sara thanked the cacao industry players for bringing Davao City national and international recognitions. She said:
For the past few years now, Davao cacao has been recognized as among the world’s best, with our local brands making waves in international chocolate competitions, and a growing number of Filipino and foreign chocolate makers sourcing their beans here.
Having said that, she also said:
While it is one thing for our cacao and chocolates to be renowned internationally, to be recognized by the national government is just as important for us, for this is an affirmation and a celebration of the efforts of our cacao farmers and processors, and everyone in the cacao industry.
She also thanked the organic agriculture partners, “because all of your efforts have brought Davao City these accolades.” The City received an award of P300,000 for the “Most Outstanding City in the Regional Organic Agriculture Achievers.” In the same event, Neptali Buhawe was “Most Outstanding Organic Agricultural Extension Worker” and Janel N Juaton was “Organic Agriculture Young Farmer.”
Now look at the lower image above – bananas growing amidst the cacao seedlings. The photograph is shared by the married couple Kenneth & Shirley Reyes-Lao, 36 and 33 (Yvette Tan, 14 June 2020, “Couple Successfully Grows Cacao And Makes Products Without Owning A Farm Or Factory[2],” agriculture.com.ph).
Digital masters who became terrestrial workers. The couple left the information industry in Metro Manila and started “Cacao Culture Farms.” On advice, they put up a cacao seedling nursery and made money from the big demand for seedlings. Sheila says, “We had a lot of private farm buyers from all over the country… 80% of cacao comes from Davao.”
As outsider, I see windows of opportunity for cacao growers to earn more – by intercropping. I have been looking at photographs of cacao plantings in the Visayas and Mindanao but have not seen intercropping being practiced.
Do you see? While waiting for 5 years for your cacao to bear fruit, as can be seen in the lower image above, you can interplant banana or any other crop. The other crop becomes the Mother or Nurse trees of your cacao, and soon bear fruits themselves that make very good money.
You can say: “Cacao is the crop that calls for other crops to grow with it. For the sake of the cacao – and the planter!”@517
Keep it up, Frank!
ReplyDeleteKeep it up, Frank!
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