Cacao: From bust to boom (Last of Three Parts)

By Henrylito D. Tacio
Cacao, also called cocoa and known in the science world as Theobroma cacao, is considered an equatorial crop (crops that thrives well on regions occupying the equator). As such, the Philippines has a great potential growing cacao.
“I really could not believe why we cannot import cacao beans when the Philippines is ideal for cacao growing,” Roy C. Alimoane, director of Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center in Kinuskusan, Bansalan, Davao del Sur. “Mindanao, for instance, is best for cacao production.”
Cacao can be grown anywhere in the country, but Mindanao has two advantages: good rainfall and good soil. “But cacao would grow anywhere in the country,” Alimoane says, adding that other areas where cacao is suited for planting are Quezon, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, and Palawan.
Last year, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has ranked the Philippines as the 18th among the 20 top producing countries in the world. It was ahead of Congo and below Argentina.
Ranked in the top 10 were Ivory Coast, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil, Cameroon, Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, and Papua New Guinea. Except for Indonesia, most of the top cacao producing countries are from Africa and South America.
Cacao has been cultivated in the Philippines since the 17th century when Spanish mariner Pedro Bravo de Lagunas planted the crop in San Jose, Batangas. Since then, cacao growing flourished in the different parts of the country.
In the 1950s, commercial cacao farms were established and cocoa beans production expanded into an industry in the following decade as processing facilities were put up by a group of Filipino investors. The industry started to take-off in mid-1980s as more investments were poured on commercial farms and on grinding facilities.
There are many varieties of cacao but the National Seed Industry Council has registered and approved only 9 varieties/clones of cacao. NSIC approved clones are the following:
There are several types of cacao grown in the country, but seven varieties are highly recommended. These are: BR25 (CC-99-05), ICS 40, UIT 1 (CC-99-02), K 1, K2, SF, and UF18.
To those who want to plant cacao in their farms, here are some tips from The Philippines Recommends for Cacao, published by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development:
• The use of seeds is the most method of planting cacao. Seeds must be selected carefully and must come from big pods obtained from trees which are highly productive, regular bearers and free from pests. Seeds must be planted immediately since their viability is limited.
• Seedlings to be retained in the nursery for 3-4 months must be raised in polyethylene bags. The seedlings are shaded both above and at the sides for protection against strong winds. Coconut palm fronds can be used for the purpose.
• Transplanting can be done when the shoots become mature and the leaves become hard and dark green. Utmost care is necessary in transporting as the seedlings are very pone to transplanting shock.
• Care should be taken to remove the polyethylene container with minimal disturbance. Seedlings are to be planted at the same depth as they were in the polyethylene bags. Topsoil is poured into the prepared hole a few centimeters at a time and then carefully pressed down.
• Proper maintenance such as weeding, mulching, fertilizing, pest control, shade adjustment and pruning are necessary to keep the trees healthy and obtain high production. Harvesting may be done in about three to five years after planting.
In Mindanao, more and more farmers are planting cacao in their farms. The profitability of cacao production has convinced Ramon T. Ubando, a handicapped farmer from Opao in Dapitan City, to go into cacao farming. Because of a severe vascular disease he acquired since childhood, the middle of his right hip and knee in his right leg had to be amputated. That was in 1973 when he was still 40 years old.
Twelve years ago, he became interested into farming. He raised some livestock in his backyard to make both ends meet. “His farm was augmented by his inquisitive efforts of seeking crops and technologies that alleviates economic status of his family,” reports Ariel A. Lao-ay, who used to work as a technician for a cacao program initiated by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Philippine government.
That was how Ubando discovered cacao growing; thanks to a six-month training conducted by the Department of Agrarian Reform. Equipped with technical skills and enthusiasm, he started a 100-hill cacao budwood garden in one-fourth of a hectare in his farm. He propagated and maintained five different cacao clones. “Cacao puts cash into my empty pocket,” he pointed out.
In Davao Region, farmers are discovering that cacao is a good intercrop of banana. Because of the big potential of cacao in the local and international market, the Federation of Cooperatives (FEDCO) urged its members to plant cacao in their banana plantations.
FEDCO is the umbrella organization of banana cooperatives composed of farmers operating in Davao City and the provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur and Compostela Valley. FEDCO has 13 member coops with around 3,600 farmers owning almost 3,000 hectares of land planted with export-quality fresh Cavendish bananas that are both the “highland” and “lowland” varieties.
“Many banana industry players we talked with told us that cacao can’t be intercropped with Cavendish bananas,” Saavedra said. “But we want to provide additional income to our members, so we decided to ahead with the experiment by growing the crops together.”
On March 2011, FEDCO intercropped the 1,500 Cavendish bananas with 1,800 cacao trees in barangay New Katipunan in Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte. “In less than two years, the planted cacao trees now produce 12 pods per tree,” reports Flordelyn A. Saavedra, marketing officer of FEDCO and head of its cacao project.
As a result, farmers are now planting cacao along with banana. Ireneo Dalayon, FEDCO’s chief executive officer, asserted. “We see the cacao industry as a new ray of hope for all our banana farmers,” he said.