TACURONG CITY, Sultan Kudarat (PIA) -- The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has strengthened its support for cacao farmers in Sultan Kudarat, especially in the management and handling of cacao seedlings.
DTI Sultan Kudarat Provincial Director Mary Ann Morales said there is a great demand for cacao in the Philippines as it encompasses a broad range of products, ranging from chocolate confectioneries to baking ingredients and bread spreads.
"Hence, they must ensure that the seedlings are planted and taken care of to be able to abundantly bear fruits,” she told cacao farmers and other stakeholders.
Aimed at fostering farmers’ prosperity and elevating the cacao industry in the region, the DTI, through its provincial office in Sultan Kudarat, has exerted efforts to upskill cacao farmers by providing them with technical knowledge and training on “Enhancing Agricultural Production Capacity and Quality, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), and Rejuvenation.”
Morales clarified that the training aimed to teach farmers how to minimize the “mortality rate” of cacao seedlings and ensure their healthy growth through proper management and handling.
“The cacao farmers have a pivotal role in upholding their commitment as beneficiaries and caretakers of these cacao seedlings provided to them," Morales pointed out, prodding them to consistently observe good agricultural practices in farming.
She said farmers adopting good agricultural practices can help boost their cacao production and yields, propel the economic development of communities, and, as a result, elevate their lives as cacao farmers.
Morales emphasized the need for farmers “to be responsible enough to plant the seedlings in fertile soils and ensure that they are growing well to be productive and healthy using the knowledge they acquired from the training.”