By Emmanuel D. Taghoy
ZAMBOANGA CITY – To generate support toward the
increasing cacao production and strengthen the Cacao Industry Cluster in
Zamboanga Peninsula (ZamPen) region, the Department of Trade and Industry
(DTI)-9 spearheaded the conduct of strategic planning and workshop here at the Grand
Astoria Hotel on Sept. 28-29.
Promoting public private partnership, business establishments from the
private sector and government agencies participated in the activity to come up
with the Value Chain Map and Action Plan of the Cacao Industry Cluster.
Cacao is regarded as one of the priority high value crops identified by
the government due to its emerging prospects in both local and foreign markets.
The crop has also been a major source of livelihood for most local farmers over
the years.
As one of the emerging products of the region, the Regional Development
Council (RDC)-9 passed Resolution No. 040, series of 2015 approving Cacao as an
emerging product of Zamboanga Peninsula to gain support from the various
sectors in the community.
“We are trying to jumpstart the cacao industry in Mindanao because of
the diminishing supply of cacao in the world market, and Mindanao has a very big
chance to catch up to be a big supplier of cacao,” Secretary Luwalhati
Antonino, chair of Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said in a report.
The Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) revealed that the country
has a total cocoa production of about 4 thousand metric tons in 2013. Zamboanga
Peninsula region is the third producing region with a total output of 103.51
metric tons next to Davao region with more than 3 thousand metric tons and Northern Mindanao with 193.31
metric tons.
Region 9 has a total plantation of 348 hectares with a total of 88
thousand fruit bearing trees.
Included in the discussion of the two-day workshop are: Cacao Industry
Profile and sharing of Southern Mindanao Cluster Industry Road Map; Introduction
of the Value Chain Approach (definition, value chain map, rationale of
promoting value chain and greening the value chain).