Mindanao cacao stakeholders converged in Davao City for the second round of the PRDP Consultation and Workshop for Cacao Proponent Groups on May 22-26, 2023.

The activity, which was first conducted by PRDP Mindanao’s I-REAP component using the Mindanao C.A.F.E. or Convergence of Agriculture and Fishery Enterprise platform last November 25, 2022, aims to strengthen ties and promote better collaboration among key players in the cacao industry in Mindanao.

Representatives from ten (10) of PRDP Mindanao’s cacao enterprise beneficiaries attended the activity to participate in the workshops and discussions led by experts and specialists in the industry.

In his message, PRDP Project Support Office Mindanao (PSO Mindanao) I-REAP Component Head Ronnie John Yulo emphasized the importance of coming up with strategies for regional collaboration, convergence, and clustering.

“With new project support under the PRDP Scale-Up, we need to strengthen the inter-regional collaboration among our farmer groups,” Yulo said. “We also need to institutionalize the Mindanao Cacao Cluster and promote convergence among government and non-government stakeholders for us to achieve a unified and competitive Mindanao Cacao Industry.”

The weeklong activity included workshops and discussions on a variety of topics related to the cacao industry such as the Philippine Cacao Roadmap, Clustering Approach and other opportunities and innovations for cacao producers and groups led by resource speakers from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), SGS Philippines, Inc. and from the PRDP PSO Mindanao.

Also present during the activity were representatives from the local government units of Bukidnon, Davao City, Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao Occidental, Davao de Oro, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, and Sarangani, as well as representatives from the Regional Project Coordination Offices 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, BARMM, the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) – BARMM, and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

Bolstered by the added knowledge and the support from the different government line agencies, PRDP Mindanao’s cacao groups are now formalizing the One Cacao Mindanao concept that took shape last year taking the next step towards a unified and competitive Mindanao cacao industry. (Joy Montecalvo, PSO Min)