Cacao Davao – My Vision For Davao City As Cacao Capital Of The Philippines

Why not? 

On Facebook, I see the link to Tuesday's news by LHC, whoever that one is: "Davao City Allots P2M For Cacao" (23 April 2019, SunStar Davao, sunstar.com.ph), and I make this comment (verbatim):

2 million pesos to make davao the cacao capital of the country? that's coming from a cross-eyed view of things. it should be at least 2 billion, 2,000,000,000! and you can challenge me right now where that 2 billion should go to

Why only P2 million?

Januario Bentain, City Agriculturist Office... focal person, said the budget will be for the continued development of the industry after the city has been dubbed as the "Cacao capital of the country."

Bentain said a large portion of the budget will be for training expenses such as chocolate-making, product packaging and labeling, business plan preparation training, product marketing and management training, chocolate forums, among others.

Why not P2 Billion?!

Mr Bentain, I note that Davao City's P2 million will be largely for training, including forums. That, my friends, is thinking like a One-Eyed Jack.

Well, I'm challenging myself right now to come up with that 2 billion-peso plan, which I am right now calling:

Cacao Davao

Vision: Davao City as The Cacao Capital of the Philippines

Mission: Completely assist old & new cacao farms

Strategy: Provide active & full assistance in terms of:

(1) Cacao training

(2) Cacao production (farming)

(3) Cacao processing

(4) Cacao communication.

Slogan: Cacao Davao!

A short & smart slogan will move hands, hearts and minds from top to bottom.

If you don't know what a slogan can do, consider "Otso Diretso." It's short & smart – and unforgettable. "Diretso" has a double meaning: "direct (to the Senate)" and "straight," meaning those lady & gentlemen are upright citizens, not crooked politicians. (Oh, yes, I'm voting Otso Diretso!)

I know I'm not cut out to be so, but if I were the Cacao Davao CEO, I would know that P2 million is poor peanuts and not rich chocolate even for a multi-media campaign, including materials for these 5 P trainings:

(1) Planning: Business, considering costs & returns – comparing 3 options: chemical farming, organic farming, combined farming. Ownership: single owner, cooperative, corporate? Loan arrangements.

(2) Planting: Seedlings, grafts. Imported, native. Monoculture, multi-layer (agroforestry), under coconuts.

(3) Processing: Different products, formulas/mixes

(4) Profiting: Target market(s), market linkage(s), market control.

Don't forget:

(5) Promoting: Multi-media materials, including a magazine, website for Internet users comfortable with technical or popular or local language. Accessible 24/7.

Yes! Those 5 are all necessary to consider for your cacao industry (or any plant industry) not only to survive but to grow big, bigger, biggest.

So! You see, it's not easy for Davao City to become the real Cacao Capital of the Philippines. Or any other city for that matter.

Nice – and necessary to dream. After dreaming, you have to wake up and do whatever you have to do to make your dream come true.

Yes. If Davao City does all that, even the Small cacao farmers will become BIG!517