By Grace Ann Salvan
Researchers have confirmed that Davao de Oro is moderately suitable for cacao. What does that mean for local growers and policymakers?
The Philippines’ ‘cacao capital’ – the Davao Region in the southern part of the archipelago – has played a huge role in the country’s achievement of its 2018 target of producing 100,000 metric tons (MT) of cacao by 2022. The Region currently supplies 78% of the country’s total production. However, data shows that there are still areas in which cacao production is not maximized – such as the province of Davao de Oro, formerly known as Compostela Valley.
Based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the province produced only 741.68 MT from 5,580 hectares planted in 2020, while neighboring province Davao del Norte produced almost double (1,435.59 MT) on a very similar-sized area (5,999 hectares), and Davao del Sur produced 1,247.93 MT from just 915 hectares of plantations. These numbers call for the need to examine, and find ways to boost, cacao productivity in Davao de Oro.