The Department of Agriculture, or DA, aims to boost cacao production by 40 percent each year to increase exports of the high-value crop.

DA Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said the higher production will result in 50,000 metric tons of cacao beans by 2025.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, local cacao production slightly grew by 4.1 percent to 2,347 metric tons in the third quarter from 2,225 metric tons in the same period last year.

Strategies bared

Panganiban said former agriculture chief President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the strategies to ramp up the country's cacao production under the Cacao Industry Roadmap for 2021-2025.

"It includes strategies such as ensuring access to quality cacao planting materials and land; improving production and post-harvest facilities and protocols; and promoting value-added products," Marcos said in his statement read by Panganiban during the National Cacao Congress held on 16 to 17 November in Davao City.

Top cacao producer

The Davao Region in Mindanao is the country's top cacao producer, with 71 percent of the total supply and cacao farms spanning over 32,000 hectares, data from the statistics authority show.

The global cacao market is expected to grow by 5 percent each year to over $67 billion, according to global market researcher Statista.