EVALUATION ON CACAO PRODUCTION IN PANABO CITY, DAVAO DEL NORTE

This study was conducted in Panabo City, Davao del Norte from June 2021 to October 2021. The general aim of this study is to evaluate the cacao production in Panabo City with the specific objectives of determining the socio- demographic characteristics of cacao producers, cultural management practices adopted by farmers, benefits received from the cooperatives by cacao farmers, determine the government support extended to the cooperatives, identify problems encountered during production, and profitability of cacao farming to provide policy implications and recommendations. Data gathered were analyzed using descriptive statistics. In determining the profitability of cacao production, cost and return analysis are used.

The results show the majority of the cacao farmers are at the age between 56- 65 years old which are dominantly female, most of the farmers were married, high school level, and Roman Catholics who are sole owners of the cacao farms. Cacao farmers in Panabo City have an average area of 2 hectares. Furthermore, cacao farmers have 10.5 years of farming experience on average. In conclusion, the production of cacao in Panabo City is profitable. However, there is threat in sustainability of cacao farming due to the lack of proper farm management practices, support from the government extended to cooperatives, and high cost of inputs. The study recommends that in order to boost cacao production in Panabo City, educating and training more farmers on cacao establishment and management will help them properly manage their cacao farms. Government may provide more support to the cooperatives; provide fertilizers (as it is one of the major costs) and other necessary inputs for cacao farming to reach more cacao farmers. It is also recommended that further research may be conducted on the evaluation on cacao production in Panabo City to provide additional information to government agencies and its stakeholders to further improve programs in accelerating the growth rate of cacao production.