THE establishment of chocolate processing facilities in Gingoog City is expected to encourage increased cacao farming, not only within the city but also in the neighboring towns of Magsaysay and Medina in eastern Misamis Oriental, according to City Councilor Roy Aniscal, Chairman of the Agriculture Committee of the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Councilor Aniscal confirmed that this initiative fulfills a long-standing plan by Governor Peter Unabia, the former Vice Mayor, to establish a chocolate processing plant in the city.
“Now his desire to build a chocolate factory has come true, and it will greatly help the poor,” Aniscal said.
On July 29, the city council appropriated P15 million for the project, including P5 million for chocolate processing equipment, P2 million for transformers, generators, and electrical sets for the chocolate building and agricultural complex, and P1 million for the centralized production facility and machinery support phase II.
ABC President and Provincial Board Member Robert de Lara said that the chocolate factory would significantly benefit farmers across the province.
De Lara, a former barangay chairman, called on farmers to support the project by planting cacao, highlighting the province’s potential for cacao plantations.
Medina Administrator Ariel Anghay noted that while there are currently no cacao plantations in Medina, the new chocolate factory in Gingoog City would likely motivate local farmers to start cacao farming soon.
For his part, Provincial Board Member Rey Buhisan, chairman of the Agriculture Committee of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, added that the factory would incentivize residents to cultivate cacao.
He urged the local government of Gingoog City, led by Mayor Erick Cañosa, to engage with private investors for joint ventures to sustain development, particularly in marketing.
