Davao Region to hold cacao congress on supply amid global shortage

Cacao industry players in the Davao Region will gather for a regional cacao congress on Thursday, Nov. 12, at Seda Hotel in Davao City. The meeting will focus on supply constraints as the world faces a cacao shortage, according to SunStar Davao.

Wit Holganza, president of the Davao City Cacao Industry Development Association and chairperson of Kakaw Konek 2026, told the Kapehan sa Dabaw media forum at SM City Davao on Monday, Nov. 9, that domestic cacao output falls short of demand. She said the Philippines still imports cocoa powder from Indonesia and Malaysia. "There's not enough cacao being grown in the Philippines," Holganza said.

The Department of Agriculture-Davao Region has reported that the region produces about 7,800 metric tons of dried cacao beans a year from nearly 20,000 hectares of farms, more than 70 percent of national output. Preliminary Philippine Statistics Authority data show the region accounted for 2,560 of the country's 3,280 metric tons from October to December 2025. National production for that quarter was the highest for the period since 2010.

Holganza said earlier conferences have mostly looked at the national picture. This congress aims to identify local priorities and feed them into the national cacao roadmap. Topics include productivity, processing and quality, traceability and innovation, market access and agritourism, and supply chain development, capital and infrastructure. Organizers said the talks will help shape the region's cacao development agenda for 2027 to 2030.

Holganza also noted that Dabawenyos drink far less tableya and sikwate than people in Cebu and Bohol. She partly blamed the view that chocolate is a sweet treat rather than a beverage, as well as competition from specialty coffee. She added that local tableya stays relatively costly because small farmers and processors still work by hand and lack machinery.

Ahead of the congress, the Tsokolate Fiesta will run on Nov. 11 and 12 at the Abreeza Mall Activity Center. It will feature chocolate painting and digital art contests, tasting flights, and a trade fair that separates export-ready chocolate makers from those serving the local market. Holganza also pointed to non-food uses of cacao, such as fossilized cacao leaves that farmers' families sell for about ₱10 each and that can be made into lampshades, bags, wallpaper and notebook covers.

The events will close the five-month Kasadya sa Kulturang Kakaw celebration. Republic Act 11547 names Davao City the Chocolate Capital of the Philippines and the Davao Region the country's Cacao Capital.