The Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao, Inc. (CIDAMI), in partnership with the Philippine Cacao Industry Council, will host the KakaoKonek 2018 on October 18 to 20 at the Davao Trade and Convention Center, F. Torres Street, Davao City. It will banner the theme “Celebrating the Gains of Cacao Farming.”
KakaoKonek is dubbed as the biggest cacao event and chocolate festival in the country, with over 700 participants from all over the Philippines and across the world expecting to converge under one venue to discuss about relevant industry issues and concerns.
On top of the industry-related discussions, the event will also showcase chocolates, cacao-based products and chocolate processing equipment. Chocolate-making demonstrations will also be conducted by chocolatiers from Europe and the United States.
“Davao is the perfect venue for KakaoKonek as the region positions itself as the ‘Chocolate Capital’ with 29,000 hectares of cacao farms. Many of our entrepreneurs here are engaged in the chocolate manufacturing business as well,” Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 11 Regional Director Maria Belenda Q. Ambi said.
“The event can serve as a platform where industry players can get valuable inputs on technology, financing, market opportunities and an array of government interventions which can altogether propel the industry’s growth,” Ambi added.
One of the highlights of the KakaoKonek will be the turnover of the curriculum guide and learning materials for cacao production and processing for the K to 12 program’s technical vocational livelihood (TVL) Track for agricultural crop production to the Bureau of Curriculum Development of the Department of Education (DepEd).
DTI 11 Assistant Regional Director Engr. Edwin O. Banquerigo said the proposed inclusion of the cacao curriculum in the K to 12 program aims to educate senior high school students on the opportunities in cacao, and encourage them to venture into farming.
“The average age of a Filipino farmer is 57, but, with the growing food requirement in the country, there is a need for younger people to venture into farming. Cacao is a good start because there are already existing technologies and methods which will make it easier for beginners to plant. This, coupled with plenty of industry opportunities, can entice them to start their own cacao business, too,” noted Banquerigo, who is also DTI’s National Cacao Industry Coordinator.
In the meantime, the outstanding cacao farmers in the country will be given due recognition as well during the National Cacao Awards, while a business matching and networking activity will take place at the sidelines of the event. The participants may also join the farm tour and benchmarking at the model cacao farms in the city.
Event information and registration details are available on their Facebook page, Kakao Konek 2018. (DTI)
