Cacao growers in Luzon have been happy recipients of support from the Department of Trade and Industry which has provided roasting and grinding equipment that benefit small and medium enterprise operations. contributed photo

To aid the manufacturing gaps and restrictions in the cacao industry value chain, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recently put up a shared service facility for cacao manufacturing at La Union’s Lorma Community Development.

The DTI said it provided equipment amounting to P900,000 in total, including stainless fermentation box, roasting machine, grinding machine, stainless food grade table, chiller-freezer and others.

“The provision of efficient facilities will allow processors to produce quality beans adhering to good manufacturing processes, increase production of fermented beans, as well as other cacao products at fairly competitive prices in the market,” DTI said.

The project is also seen to empower micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) as the facility and its equipment may be accessed by neighboring municipalities venturing into cacao manufacturing, DTI added.

The project was launched on 15 February in Mabanengbeng 2, Bacnotan, La Union.

Bacnotan has honey as its One Town One Product (OTOP), with cacao included in the municipality’s priority industry clusters.

OTOP serves as the promotional program of the DTI that highlights the goods and products of local towns, cities and regions. Administered by the Department of Budget and Management, the stimulus program also provides funding for small enterprises.

Meanwhile, DTI’s shared service facility projects are likewise a nationwide push to improve the competitiveness of MSME through the provision of machinery, equipment, tools, systems, skills and knowledge.

The Department of Agriculture previously put Philippine cacao consumption at 50,000 metric tons (MT) a year, with local supply coming in short at only 10,000 MT.

Globally, a shortage in cocoa supply amounting to one million MT is seen by 2020 as consumption grows to between 4.7 million and 5 million MT.

The trade agency is aiming for an annual production increase of 40 percent by 2020 to address the deficit or 100,000 MT of fermented beans for the export and domestic markets.