There is a growing excitement among local farmers persuaded by agriculture officials to try cacao growing as an alternative means of livelihood after their coconut trees were devastated by typhoon “Yolanda” almost six years ago.

The seedlings they sow are already showing fruits and in a few months, they will already be ripe for harvest. The support of various government agencies has made this emerging cacao industry beneficial even to small players.

Recently, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Southern Leyte provincial office has provided a shared service facility (SSF) for safely keeping cacao fruits following a harvest and consequently processing them into finished consumer products.

The cacao post-harvest and processing facility consisted of two units cacao solar dryer and one unit each of cacao roaster, desheller, grinder, refiner, heavy dough mixer, choco melanguer, and a working table, for a total cost of P1.01 million.

Michael Nunez, DTI provincial director, awarded the SSF certificate to Teodocio Entoma, president of Southern Leyte Coconut Banana Cacao Planters Association Inc. in Sogod town.

Cacao growing was heavily promoted by the Department of Agriculture regional office in Eastern Visayas as an alternative crop to coconut during the recovery phase. Attached agencies of DA like the Philippine Coconut Industry distributed hundreds of thousands of cacao seedlings to farmer organizations to be planted side by side with high value vegetables.