Expansion of cacao plantation eyed in Davao del Sur, Compostela Valley

By Cheneen R. Capon
Davao-based businessman and farmer Philip “Sonny” Dizon eyes a 400-hectare expansion in his cacao plantations in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur and Compostela Valley in May, which is the start of the rainy season.
“We’re targeting to plant cacao in our 120 hectare and 300 hectare farms in Compostela Valley and Sta. Cruz,” Dizon told reporters in this week’s edition of Wednesdays sa Habi at Kape at Abreeza Mall.
Dizon, the president for American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines in Mindanao, said he’s targeting to plant 1,600 seedlings per hectare to maximize the area, higher than the recommended 600 seedlings per hectare by the Department of Agriculture.
“Of the 1,600 seedlings, only 1,100 will be productive. The rest will be cut down,” he said.
Once mature, each hectare of cacao trees will be able to yield 800 tons of cacao beans.
However, only half for each of two target areas will be planted this year because of the scarcity of planting materials.
“We’re having a hard time sourcing cacao seedlings because of the long dry season,” Dizon added.
Dizon, owner of the Dizon farms and Crocodile Park, said he’s planning to put-up a cacao seedling nursery apart from expansion in the next few years.
Mindanao, according to him, has a huge potential of becoming a major cacao producer in the country as shortage of cacao beans looms starting 2020.
However, the government should strive in creating “quality farmers rather than subsistent farmers.”
At present, ninety percent of the Philippine’s cacao production of comes from the Davao Region.
The province of Davao del Norte and Davao City are areas with the most hectares planted with cacao trees.
Records from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) revealed that the cacao bean production of the country reached 4,831 metric tons in 2013.
However, the country’s share in the global market is just less than 1 percent.
Both the public and private sector in the region are upping their drive to convince farmers to plant cacao trees as part of their contribution in attaining 100,000 metric tons of cacao production in Mindanao in four years.
This will be used to supply at least 10 percent of the 1 million MT global deficiency.