Global commodity experts eye Davao as world’s major source of cocoa

DAVAO CITY, Sept. 5 — Global commodity experts are now eyeing Davao as one of the world’s major cocoa suppliers.

The world’s big buyers and traders are looking for alternative sources of this commodity, away from the civil unrest and political uncertainties of Ivory Coast in West Africa, the world’s biggest cocoa supplier.

To reach this global stature, the Philippines needs 57 million fully grown cacao trees producing about 100,000 metric tons of cocoa dry beans every year, according to Nicolas Richards, chief of party of the Agricultural Cooperative Development International-Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (ACDI-VOCA), the primary United States-backed private group pushing for the growth of cacao industry in the Philippines.

“There’s just so much uncertainty in Ivory Coast for global buyers to depend on a stable world supply of cocoa from that part of the world,” says Richards during a recent signing of a deal with Davao banana farmers to start producing cacao seedlings to supply hundreds of farmers turning to cacao production.

The dramatic growth of cocoa export from the Davao port in recent years has inspired and motivated thousands of farmers in various industries like coconut, banana and mango to start planting and producing cocoa beans.

“We’re impressed by the huge world market potential for cocoa. While we’re also growing and exporting bananas, this is one big opportunity we can’t miss,” says Rene Dalayon, chief executive officer of Federation of ARB Banana-based Cooperatives in Mindanao (FEDCO), one of the country’s biggest federations of farmer’s cooperatives.

“We’re very excited about the prospects of cocoa as a prime commodity. We’re doing everything to bring this benefit to hundreds of our Davao farmers” says Leonardo Avila III, city agriculturist. (PNA)

LDV/AAP/ldp

Similar Posts:

• Farmers turn to cacao as hedge vs banana risk
• USDA turns over P1.5-M post-harvest equipment to Mindanao cacao farmer-coops
• (Feature) Mindanao farmers eye int’l cacao market
• RP suitable for cultivation of quality cacao beans, says expert
• Banana industry training to focus on managing coops in Davao Norte