Davao City named Cacao Capital of the Philippines

The Department of Agriculture (DA) formally named Davao City, hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte, as the Cacao Capital of the Philippines.

Davao City is the country’s “biggest cacao-producing area.”

The DA noted in a statement on Tuesday, September 8, that Davao City produced 2,289.74 metric tons (MT) of cacao in 2019 alone, equivalent to 38% of the entire Davao Region’s production.

Davao City, along with the 5 provinces in the Davao Region – Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, Davao Occidental, and Davao Oriental – contributed 5,960.23 MT or 70.21% of the total national output in 2019.

“The declaration was made following the consistent production of high-quality beans in the Davao Region,” said the DA, adding that cacao is “one of the important commodities in Philippine agriculture.”

Photo from Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Davao Region

According to the DA, Davao cacao beans are “now one of the sought-after beans by chocolate makers from the US, Japan, and Europe.”

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, daughter of the President, said in her message accepting the recognition, “For the past few years now, Davao cacao has been recognized as among the world’s best, with our local brands making waves in international chocolate competitions, and a growing number of Filipino and foreign chocolate makers sourcing their beans here.”

Agriculture Secretary William Dar also pledged to support the Davao Region’s other exports, which include bananas, copra, and pineapples.

“Aside from cacao, Davao has much local agricultural produce that are brought to the global market,” Dar said. – Rappler.com