TECHNOLOGY

UPDATES OF CACAO IN
THE PHILIPPINES

ROMULO L. CENA, PhD

University of Southern Mindanao
Kabacan, Cotabato, Philippines
Mobile # 09207338887
romulo55ena@yahoo.com
 Cacao is a commodity crop grown commercially
in many tropical countries.
 It has been cultivated since pre-historic times in
the ancient civilization of the Mayas and Astecs
in Mexico and South America.
 At present, there is a need to revitalize the
cacao industry because of its high demand in
the local and international market
 The Global Cacao Industry
FACTS AND FIGURES

Around 5 to 6 million cacao farmers worldwide

Annual worldwide cacao production is 3.5 million
tons
Current global market value of annual cacao crop
is $5.1 billion
Demand for cacao increases 3 % per year
Growing regions are: Africa, Asia, Central America,
South America (all within 20 degrees of the
equator)
West Africa supplies 70 % of world cacao beans
supply
Global Climate Suitability for Cocoa Production
 The Philippines’ Cacao Industry

FACTS AND FIGURES

Around 10,000 to 15,000 cacao farmers nationwide

Annual consumption in beans equivalent is about
25,000MT
Average cacao beans production:5,380MT
Current average yield per tree is 1.30 kilos dried
beans
Value of imports per year for cacao alone: USD 42
million, chocolate products and consumable not
included
 FACTS AND FIGURES

Average value of exports: USD3.5 million

Major growing regions are: Davao
Region, Northern Mindanao, CARAGA,
West Mindanao, & Eastern Visayas
Davao Region produced 77 % of cacao
beans supply in the last 5 years (2006-
2011)
Cacao Production Areas
 Cacao Farming Status

source: BAS 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 average

# of hectares
planted 10,354 9,985 9,751 9,538 9,462 9,817.98

# of Trees bearing 4,129,905 4,050,124 3,942,957 3,926,033 3,908,457 3,991,495

Dried Beans
Production in MT 5,415 5,237 5,149 5,134 5,019 5,191
Approx # of trees/ha 399 406 404 412 413 407
Approx yield per ha
(mt) 0.52 0.52 0.53 0.54 0.53 0.53
Approx yield per
tree (kg) 1.31 1.29 1.31 1.31 1.28 1.30
 Top 20 Producing Provinces

rank 2009 rank 2010 rank average 2006 to 2010

1 ....Davao del Sur 1,682.17 1 ....Davao del Sur 1,664.72 1 ....Davao del Sur 1,700.89
2 ......Davao City 850.05 2 ......Davao City 836.39 2 ......Davao City 848.12
3 ....Davao Oriental 486.52 3 ....Davao Oriental 491.22 3 ....Davao Oriental 479.54
4 ....Bukidnon 466 4 ....Bukidnon 462 4 ....Bukidnon 454.83
5 ....Davao del Norte 313.87 5 ....Davao del Norte 332.83 5 ....Davao del Norte 316.61
6 ....Compostela Valley 177.28 6 ....Compostela Valley 181.17 6 ....Compostela Valley 166.70
....Agusan del Norte ....Zamboanga del ....Agusan del Norte
7 84.54 7 77.63 7
Norte 110.72
....Zamboanga del ....Lanao del Sur ....Zamboanga del
8 82.73 8 59.13 8
Norte Norte 79.55
9 ....Cagayan 75.41 9 ....Lanao del Norte 56.85 9 ....Cagayan 63.56
10 ....Lanao del Sur 61.2 10 ....Agusan del Norte 54.11 10 ....Lanao del Sur 63.27
11 ....Lanao del Norte 60.4 11 ....Cagayan 45.64 11 ....Lanao del Norte 61.09
12 ....Iloilo 39.7 12 ....Aurora 38.7 12 ....Agusan del Sur 59.52
13 ....Sulu 38.8 13 ....Iloilo 35.34 13 ....Sulu 41.47
14 ....Aurora 37 14 ....Sulu 33.1 14 ....Iloilo 40.67
15 ....Sarangani 34.9 15 ....Sarangani 32.22 15 ....Sarangani 35.84
16 ....Isabela 31.83 16 ....Palawan 29.7 16 ....Aurora 34.54
17 ....Southern Leyte 31.39 17 ....Isabela 29.7 17 ....Southern Leyte 31.86
18 ....Surigao del Norte 29.15 18 ....Southern Leyte 28.95 18 ....Isabela 30.46
19 ....South Cotabato 27.73 19 ....Surigao del Norte 28.76 19 ....Surigao del Norte 29.51
20 ....Agusan del Sur 27.14 20 ....Northern Samar 27.35 20 ....Oriental Mindoro 27.23
Total 4,637.81   Total 4,545.51 Total 4,675.99
% share in total production 91%   % share in total production 90% % share in total production 90%
 Major Producing Regions

CA ZAMBOANGA
RA PENINSULA EASTERN VISAYAS
GA 3% 3%
5%
NO
RT
HE
RN
MI
ND
AN DA
AO VA
12 O
% RE
GI
ON
77
%
 Monthly Average Farmgate Price, Dried Cacao
Beans

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Source: BAS
Annual Domestic Consumption, 2002-2011

liquor,
962 MT
4%
shells, 1,977 MT
butter, 8%
3,548
MT
15%

powder
& cake,
17,738
MT
73%
 Cacao Farm
Establishment
 PROPAGATED GRAFTED
CACAO SEEDLING CACAO
1. Variable and not uniform in 1. Uniform in terms of growth,
terms of growth, flowering and flowering and
and production. production.
2. Produce jorquette 2. Produce more branches
which can be pruned by
formative pruning.
3. Grow faster and taller 3. Shorter plants and
spreading
4. Good as rootstock for 4. Used by many plantation to
propagation maximize yield
5. Need to establish budwood
garden
1. CLEARING THE AREA
• The system used in clearing the area depends
so much on the existing vegetation, whether it
is a previously cropped area, cogonal field,
second growths or virgin forest. In previously
cropped areas, manual, mechanical or
chemical weeding can be used to control
weeds like cogon and talahib.
2. Establishment of Roads and
Drainage Network
• In large farms, roads should be a major
consideration and spaced 200 meters
apart.
• Roads should always be laid out across
the slope or along contours.
• When necessary, roads of 3m wide
should be provided with side drain as
interceptor.
3. Staking and Spacing
• The planting points are to be
marked with stakes using suitable
size and length of wire as guide
for straight line planting.
 Planting Distance
a) 3 x 6 m
b) 3 x 3 m
c) 1.5 x 2.0 x 6 m double hedge row = 2,300
trees/ha
d) 2 x 3 m = 1,666 trees/ha (low density)
O – shade trees X – cacao trees

Planting scheme with cadyos as shade trees (3 m x 3 m).

4. Hole Digging
• Dig a hole with a size of 0.4m wide by 0.5
deep at a distance of 3m between holes.
• Keep separately top soil that will be filled
back to the hole together with fertilizers
and lime at following quantities: 5-10kg of
manure, 100g of lime, 50g of complete
fertilizer 16-16-8 and termite pesticide (if
needed). Mix mentioned components
thoroughly before filling the hole.
5. Planting
• The right time to plant is during early morning or
late afternoon. Seedling with flushes must be
transplanted provided spraying of 25% sugar
solution was done at the nursery 12 hours
before transplanting to the field.
• If rain occurs prior to field planting and sugar
solution is washed out, spray again.
• Use sharp knife to cut the bottom of plastic bag
(about 1 cm from the bottom) and curved portion
of taproot.
PLANTING PROCEDURE
• After planting apply about 50-100g rock
phosphate surrounding the tree.
• Use organic matter such as rice straw,
grass leaves, coconut husk to mulch the
surface. Make sure that mulching material
does not touch the stem.
• Water seedling after planting. Tie the stem
to a small stick to prevent it from being
damaged by wind.
6. Fronding
• Use coconut frond or something else
to temporarily shade the young trees,
if necessary. They need to be
shaded 50-75% of direct light.
A Year Old Cocoa Farm
A 3 - yr old Grafted UF 18 Cocoa Trees
 FERTILIZATION
Months after FERTILIZER APPLICATION/PLANT (g)
field planting
N P K

1 6.4 6.4 6.4

4 8.5 8.5 8.5
8 8.5 8.5 8.5
12 12.8 12.8 12.8
18 17.0 17.0 17.0
24 27.0 27.3 38.5

Total 80.5 80.5 91.7

 PRUNING
 Increase cacao production.
 Reduce pest and diseases infestation.
 Control the shape and height of the tree.
 Ensure easy access to the trees for spraying and
harvesting.
Pruning for Immature Cacao Trees
• Immature cacao plants are those plants
which have not yet started to flower and set
pods, and are usually less than 18 months
old.
• Once the cacao tree has a good structure, it
will be more productive and easier for the
farmer to manage and maintain during the
rest of its life, assuming the farmer provides
proper care.
Pruning for Mature
Cacao Trees
Techniques for where you prune

• Skirting
• Height control pruning. Prune the
light color branches
Tipping technique. Dark color branches
should be pruned
Cacao with other Cash Crops
 Cacao with Cashew

Cacao under non- timber trees

Cacao with Durian

A year and 7 – month old
rehabilitated cocoa tree
A year and 7 – month old
rehabilitated cocoa tree
An FFS Farmer’s Rehabilitated Cocoa
Trees
Side-grafting steps:
1. Select a suitable area on
the tree for side grafting.
The recommended area is
between 60-120 cm from
the base of the tree trunk
and the jorquette.
2. Make a deep, 5 cm wide
horizontal cut across the
bark. Make sure the cut
reaches the white wood
(cambium layer) below the
bark.
3. Shave the bark above the
cut.
• Make two vertical cuts
downward from the
horizontal cut.

• Create a graft “window”

by peeling the bark
neatly and cleanly back
to reveal the white
cambium layer inside.
• Sharpen the end of
the budwood stick by
making a proper cut
using one stroke on
one side (a flat
conical cut). Insert
the sharpened end.
• Insert the budstick
into the “window” with
the open cut facing
the cambium
• Tie the
“window”closed
against the graft
with the raffia or
plastic cord.
• Cover the side-graft with the
opaque plastic by first
attaching the plastic at the
base of the window with the
raffia and then by pulling the
plastic over the budwood and
tying again at the top of the
plastic securely-preventing
water from entering the graft.
Make sure the plastic does
not press against the top of
the budwood as this can pull
the bottom away from the
cambium layer inside.
UF 18
Pure Tablea. Chokolate de
Universidad. PICRI, USM,