THE National Cacao Council, as well as the comprehensive Philippine Cacao Roadmap will be presented during the opening of the three-day KakaoKonek 2016: Asia Pacific Cocoa Conference slated on September 15 to 17 at SMX Convention Cente in Davao City.
Cacao Industry Development Association (Cidami) executive director Valente “Val” Turtur said in Wednesday’s Habi at Kape media conference at the Abreeza Ayala-Mall it will be presented to Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol.
The DA head is expected to present the council and the roadmap to President Rodrigo Duterte, for him to issue and sign an Executive Order (EO) institutionalizing such.
Some 1,000 delegates are expected to grace the event.
Turtur said that despite the safety concerns of delegates due to the powerful explosion that happened last September 2 in the city, participants are keen to attend the gathering. But he noted that the US Department of Agriculture under the US Embassy cancelled its appearance and instead will only deliver a video presentation on its assigned cacao’s export and import topic.
The national council, which will be formed a day before the event, will be composed of members and officials of cacao regional councils in the country and other industry players from government and private sectors.
It can be recalled that last year’s KakaoKonek, one of its outcome is the formation of regional councils throughout the country which members and officers will comprise the proposed National Cacao Council. At present, all regions in the country have a council, if not an association except the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (Armm).
Cidami president Dante Muyco, Jr. for his part said, that the national council will serve as a coordinating policy advocacy body to guide and oversee the cacao industry.
He added that it will oversee from the production, planting to the export process of the cacao products since the industry, at present, has no institutionalized office holding the industry together.
The council, Turtur said, is eyed to be composed of more than 50 percent from the private players as the industry was led by private movers.
Cacao Roadmap
A collective final version of the Philippine Cacao Industry Roadmap 2016 to 2022 will serve as a guiding document essential to achieve the industry's goals and targets.
It has been drafted and finalized last April of this year.
The roadmap will have international cacao protocols adhering to global standards of the industry.
"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," Turtur 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.
Muyco, also said, that one of the industry’s big challenges is how to achieve “good branding”
“With the roadmap and creation of the national council, it will be a very good start in promoting the Philippine Cacao brand that is of quality and export value,” Muyco said.
In coming with a good brand, Muyco said that they are up to setting a quality assurance system.
Turtur also said that educating the cacao farmers is a good way in achieving good branding of the Philippine Cacao.
At present, the present production volume of cacao in the country is at around 14,000 to 15,000 metric tons (MT) with some 26,000 hectares grown with cacao. Total volume of the country is contributed largely by Davao Region at some 80 percent.
The total farmers engaging in cacao are estimated to be at 26,000 farmers.
The production of cacao in the country for the first six months of the year only reached 3,000 MT, an extreme down from 5,000 MT last year due to El Nino phenomenon.
With this, the 15,000 MT target of this year is now lowered to some 11,000 MT. (ASP)
