PH cacao debuts in New Zealand

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines made its inaugural commercial shipment of cacao to New Zealand, opening up a new export market for locally produced agricultural products.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said fermented cacao beans had been delivered on July 13 and were expected to reach the Port of Lyttelton in mid-August.

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The 6,000-kilogram cargo, sourced directly from Kapalong, Davao del Norte, was marked by a formal sendoff event at Headcorp CY in the town of Carmen.

2025 exports

The country’s total cacao exports stood at 6,232 metric tons in 2025, according to the agency.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the maiden cacao shipment to New Zealand provides a bigger market for farmers while helping address the country’s 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 in a statement on Wednesday.

“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.

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High-value crop

Local firm Pemline Export Trading Co., in partnership with the Kapalong Cooperative, facilitated the cacao delivery.

DA officials and Plant Quarantine Service teams inspected the consignment and verified compliance with New Zealand’s import requirements.

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The beans underwent a five-day, or 120-hour, aluminum phosphide fumigation process, followed by the required aeration period.

“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 latest cacao shipment forms part of the DA’s broader move to position priority agricultural products in competitive global markets, including bananas, cacao, mango, pineapple, durian, avocado and ube. INQ