The Philippines has opened a new market for its cacao industry with the first commercial shipment of fermented cacao beans to New Zealand, giving local growers a fresh export outlet as the government pushes to turn high-value crops into bigger sources of farm income and foreign exchange.
The 6,000-kilogram shipment, sourced directly from Kapalong, Davao del Norte, was formally sent off by the Department of Agriculture at Headcorp CY in Carmen, Davao del Norte. It left the Philippines on July 13 and is expected to reach the Port of Lyttelton in mid-August.
The shipment nearly matches the Philippines’ total cacao exports of 6,232 metric tons in 2025, underscoring the significance of the initial New Zealand order and the potential for the market to grow.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the shipment shows how expanding agricultural exports can create a bigger market for farmers while helping address the country’s persistent agricultural trade deficit.
“Every new export market we open gives our farmers another opportunity to earn more from what they produce, while bringing more foreign exchange into the country,” Tiu Laurel said.
“We need to keep building these markets because stronger agricultural exports mean better incomes for farmers and a stronger contribution from agriculture to the broader economy.”
“We need to keep building these markets because stronger agricultural exports mean better incomes for farmers and a stronger contribution from agriculture to the broader economy,” the agriculture chief added.
The shipment was facilitated by Pemline Export Trading Co. in partnership with the Kapalong Cooperative. Before departure, DA officials and Plant Quarantine Service teams inspected the consignment and verified compliance with New Zealand’s import requirements.
The beans underwent a five-day, or 120-hour, aluminum phosphide fumigation process, followed by the required aeration period before completing documentary and regulatory requirements.
“This is a clear testament that our targeted interventions to empower local producers and modernize high-value export crop supply chains are yielding tangible international success.”
“This is a clear testament that our targeted interventions to empower local producers and modernize high-value export crop supply chains are yielding tangible international success,” Agriculture Undersecretary Philip Young said.
The shipment advances the DA’s export drive under Department Order No. 12, Series of 2026, through its High-Value Export Crops and Agri-Fishery Export Development and Promotion unit.
For cacao farmers, the bigger prize is not simply one shipment, but a foothold in a high-standard market that could lead to repeat orders. For the government, it is another step toward making Philippine agriculture more export-oriented, competitive, and capable of narrowing a yawning trade gap.
