Villar wants Congress to declare Davao City as cacao, chocolate capital of the Philippines

Senator Cynthia Villar on Monday said Congress should declare Davao City as the Philippines' cacao and chocolate capital.

"The DA (Department of Agriculture) has declared it and so I thought that the legislators should declare it formally. That's why we called this hearing," Villar said during the Senate Committee on Agriculture's hearing on Senate Bill No. 1741.

Further, the senator stressed that cacao production must be boosted nationwide to meet the annual local demand of 50,000 metric tons. She said only around 8,500 metric tons of cacao are locally produced.

"Our production is not even enough to cover our local demand. We are importing our chocolates from other countries that's why it's so sad," Villar said.

"Eighty percent comes from the Davao region and 10 percent from the whole of Mindanao. So, 10 percent lang ang Visayas and Luzon, so it's really pathetic," she added.

Meanwhile, Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao Inc. executive director Valente Turtur said that based on industry estimates, the country's annual production of cacao is at 11,000 metric tons.

"We are short of around 40,000 metric tons," Turtur said.

He added that the exported cacao is "very small" and that most of them are in the form of dried cacao beans

"That's something like 3,000 metric tons every year," Turtur said.

Agriculture Undersecretary for High Value Crops Evelyn Lavina, citing a 2015 data, said the Philippines was able to export $US 21 million worth of different cacao products.

Unsatisfied with the available information during the hearing, Villar said the Department of Agriculture should submit a detailed report on the cacao exports and imports of the Philippines.

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, who hails from Davao City, said it is an "opportune time" to enhance the country's cacao industry as there is an increase in global demand for cacao.

Citing a government estimate, Go said the international demand for cacao will reach up to five million metric tons this year.

Villa adjourned the hearing on the proposed bill declaring Davao City as the cacao and chocolate capital of the Philippines. The measure shall further be tackled in the plenary.  —KBK, GMA News