Davao to be Cacao & Chocolate Capital - Sen. Villar backs resolution to declare the region as the cacao capital

Davao City may soon be referred to as the "Cacao and Chocolate Capital of the Philippines."

A resolution was passed last month by Councilor Marissa Salvador-Abella, Davao City Council Committee on Agriculture and Food Chair. It names the city as the chocolate and cacao capital of the country.

The declaration will aid the farmers with their income, create more jobs, increase livelihood options, and encourage tourism and economic activities in the city.

Senator Cynthia Villar said she is awaiting the resolution to reach her office so she can work on it in the Senate. Villar is the chairperson of the Senate committee on Agriculture and Food.

“Your soil is really adapted with the Cacao production,” she said.

Over 80% of the country's production comes from Davao, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. The production in Davao region has increased by 6% annually from 2010 to 2016.

Davao City is has more than 30 chocolate processors and 6,000 cacao farmers tilling approximately 3,475 hectares of land. It is also home to the internationally-awarded Malagos Chocolate.

An educational tour called Davao Chocolate Tour Overload was launched by the Department of Tourism to further boost the cacao industry in the Philippines. The tour highlights the processes that the cacao fruit undergoes to transform into its chocolate form.

Source: PTV News