ILOILO CITY – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) led the review of the regional roadmaps for the coffee and cacao industry in Western Visayas.
“We wanted to revisit the mission, vision, goals, and strategies identified in these particular industry roadmaps, including the action plan for 2021-2022,” said DTI Region 6 Director Rebecca Rascon after recent online and face-to-face meetings.
“The industry’s organizations, national government agencies, and other stakeholders are committed to the implementation of industry roadmaps,” Rascon added.
Francis Gentoral, executive director of the Iloilo Economic Development Foundation (ILED), facilitated the review and updating of the roadmaps for the coffee and cacao industries of the region comprised of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental.
The meetings discussed the identified major bottlenecks faced by the industry, including quality of beans, the market, and accredited nurseries.
While there are markets for the raw produce of cacao and coffee beans, its quality cannot meet the standards of the market. For this particular issue, the stakeholders are seeking for more training on post-harvest processing and handling.
Another challenge for the cacao and coffee industry are the nursery accreditation. So far, only Orchard Valley in Pavia, Iloilo has been accredited by the government.