CHOCOLATE CITY ON THE RISE IN AGUSAN DEL NORTE

Dreams become a reality when intentions turn into action.

And with this in mind, the members of the Nasipit Cacao Farmers Ventures Association, Incorporated (NACAFAVA) are working hard to make their dream of making their hometown Nasipit of Agusan del Norte a Chocolate City, a reality.

By Vanessa P. Sanchez

It was way back in 2016 when cacao growers in Nasipit first organized themselves into an association which they called the NACAFAVA.

The association availed of a Cacao Production project under the Bottom-Up Budgeting Program of the Department of Agriculture. Members were provided with planting materials according to the size of their production areas. They were also given fertilizers and fermentation boxes.

Along with the inputs provided, the members of NACAFAVA were also given technical assistance including various training from which they learned how

to take better care of their cacao trees.

NACAFAVA member Marcelita D. Romo shares that being part of an organization has been a big help to their cacao venture.

“Previously, our knowledge in cacao farming is very limited, but through the trainings, we learned a lot about new technologies and farming practices such as proper planting distance and pruning which improves our production,” he said. Romo added that since they were also able to avail of a Shared Service Facility project from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) last year, they now have access to post-harvest equipment which come in handy for their processing activities.

“The quality of our tableya has really improved due to our processing equipment. Now, I prefer to process my harvested beans rather than just sell the dried beans since I can earn much more from the tableya,” Romo said. According to Romo, a kilo of dried cacao beans sells for P150 per kilo while a kilo of tableya would sell for about P300.

NACAFAVA President Merlyn B. Lumocso said that they are thankful that the government agencies are working together to assist farmers and farmers’ associations in their endeavors.

“We are happy that more and more of our members are now engaging in cacao processing because this is one way that we can contribute to achieving the goal of Nasipit to be a Chocolate City,” she said.

Lumocso also shared that NACAFAVA has just started processing cacao beans into tableya. The association buys beans from the members and processes them in their facility. Some of the tableya were bought by some members while the others were displayed at the DTI’s Negosyo Center.

Little by little, Lumocso said that they are getting closer to realizing their dreams, not just of improving their farming ventures, but also in making a name in the cacao industry. (DA 13 – RAFIS/PIA Agusan del Norte)