On May 27, 2021, President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed the Republic Act No. 11547 declaring Davao City as Chocolate Capital of the Philippines and the whole Davao Region as the Cacao Capital of the country. In 2020, the Department of Agriculture has officially named Davao City as the Cacao Capital of the Philippines, as it continues to be the top producer of cacao beans in the entire region. Last year, the city alone produced 2,289.74 metric tons (MT) of cacao, translating to 38 percent in regional share!
Together with five other provinces of the region, Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, Davao del Sur and Davao Occidental, the regions total contribution to national production for 2019 reached 5,960.23 MT or 70.21 percent of the total national output.
The declaration was made following the consistent production of high-quality beans in the Davao Region. According to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority from 2015 to the present, regional yield contributes an average of 80 percent to the total volume produced throughout the country. It was recognized as one of the world’s best and is now one of the sought-after beans by chocolate makers from the U.S., Japan, and Europe. With the growing market for Philippine cacao, farmers are inspired and motivated to improve production and upgrade farm systems even more.