DA works on increasing cocoa production

MANILA, Philippines - Acknowledging that consumption of coffee nowadays is no longer restricted to traditional brewing, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is working on increasing cocoa production along with coffee.

Players in the coffee industry have stressed that local demand for coffee can be increased by introducing specialty blends and encouraging local coffee shops to experiment with new mixes and flavors. 

Earlier, non-government organization Philippine Coffee Board (PCB ) said local demand for coffee is expected to increase by five percent annually because of increased consumption of instant coffee, which has now become a staple in offices.

The coffee industry, led by the PCB is currently creating a roadmap for increasing production with the goal of sufficiently supplying local demand and enabling the country to once again become a coffee exporter in 10 to 15 years.

As part of the coffee roadmap, the DA is partnering with Nestle Philippines in putting up a mother plant garden in Cagayan Valley to produce 200,000 robusta coffee seedlings per year. 

Cocoa, which is made into chocolate and a mixes for coffee drinks, is also getting additional support from the government through the establishment of Cacao Agribusiness Zones.

The DA is allocating P192 million for the implementation of the Cacao Agribusiness Zones Development (CAZD).

Under CAZD, five agribusiness zones for cacao production would be established in Davao City, Compostela Valley, Zamboanga del Norte, Palawan, and Camarines Sur.

The CADZ program is a partnership between DA and the Cocoa Foundation of the Philippines (Cocoaphil).  The agribusiness zones will house central fermentation and drying facilities, quality assurance equipment, central nursery and budwood garden, warehouse, and office space.

Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) assistant director Teodoro S. Solsoloy said the growing consumption of cacao and coffee is encouraging the local industry to increase production.

The Philippines imports between 75,000 metric tons (MT) and 100,000 MT of coffee from Vietnam and Indonesia annually at a cost of between P7 and P10 billion.

Cocoa bean imports, on the other hand, is placed at  20,000 MT annually, costing at an average of $42 million annually. Beans are usually imported from African cocoa producers in Nigeria and Ivory Coast.