CABARROGUIS, Quirino (PIA) — Quirino cacao growers entered a business partnership agreement with DLA Naturals Incorporated, a Belgian company exporting chocolates to 35 countries and with a chocolate processing facility in Subic Special Economic Zone.
During their meeting at the Q-Life Cafe, Watersports Complex recently, the DLA offered to buy cacao pods, wet, unfermented, or fermented beans from local cacao growers through the Quirino Cacao Industry Council. Both parties agreed on the quality of beans to be supplied, schedules of bean collection, as well as buying prices.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Provincial Director Mary Ann Corpuz Dy said that with the business partnership, the local cacao farmers will be encouraged to adopt best practices on cacao production, harvesting, and post-harvest fermentation, to ensure the quality standard requirements of buyers are met.
“It is also another business opportunity to expand the cacao production areas in the province,” Dy said.
The cacao stakeholders meeting was facilitated by the Provincial Government of Quirino-Office of Provincial Agriculturist in collaboration with the DTI R2–Quirino.
Other attendees of the meeting were from the Department of Agriculture-Quirino Experiment Station, Quirino-Livelihood for Everyone Upland, Municipality of Diffun, Quirino Cacao Council, Cacao Farmers & Associations, and Municipal Cacao Consolidators. (TCB, PIA Quirino)