Drying cacao beans in Tugbok District, Davao city. MindaNews file photo by RUBY THURSDAY MORE
He said the region fell short of hitting its target due to various factors, including poor planting materials and failure to put in place a good monitoring system. Muyco said the Philippine Cacao Industry Council is working on a book containing protocols on production that should be adopted by the cacao growers to increase not only the area planted to cacao but also the yield.
The law recognizes “importance of cacao as a driver of rural development not only because of its singular potential as a raw material that can increase the country’s export earnings tremendously, and put the name of the country in the map for producing the finest chocolate beans, but for having provided livelihood to many small farmers in the countryside.”