Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Philippine Center for Postharvest
Development and Mechanization
CLSU Compound, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija
(044) 4560-213, od@philmech.gov.ph

NEWS STORIES

PHilMech, ICCBFA Sign Moa
by Gio Anton T. Barroga (December 6, 2021)
A memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed between the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (DA-PHilMech) and the Isabela Cacao, Coffee and Banana Farmers Association (ICCBFA) during a three-day event from December 1 to 3, 2021 in Brgy. Panang, San Agustin, Isabela.
With chocolate being the most known product of cacao, PHilMech’s project with the cooperator will allow cacao farmers to repurpose the usually discarded cacao pod husks by transforming it into briquettes – providing cacao farmers with an additional income.

Studies conducted by the agency showed that briquettes made from cacao pod husks are a viable substitute to regular charcoal as it retains more heat and burns cleaner compared to regular charcoal.

While the project focuses on converting cacao pod husks into briquettes, other related biomass waste products such as banana peels have been targeted but are still undergoing research.

The MOA states that ICCBFA will serve as the testing and training site of the project. PHilMech, on the other hand, will provide a package of technology to the cooperator, as well as training the members of the association on how to create the cacao briquettes through its recommended briquetting system.

15 participants dominated by women took part in the three-day event. Apart from PHilMech Officials and members of the ICCBFA, Mayor Cesar A. Mondala of San Agustin, Isabela, was also present during the MOA signing. ICCBFA chairperson Juliet Guieb said that she was thankful to the agency for choosing her association to be the cooperator of the project.

PHilMech experts, led by the Bio-Process Engineering Division (BPED), provided an in-depth lecture of the project, as well as the operation and maintenance of the machines provided. Science Research Analyst Shiela Marie A. Villota, provided the hands on training for the members of the association.

Engr. Danilo A. Briones of the Enterprise Development Division (EDD) was in charge of discussing the business model canvass of the project. Members were also taught on the importance of including the Gender and Development (GAD) aspect in the cooperative to raise awareness on the different roles that men and women play. This was led by EDD’s Renz M. Bernandino.

The Socio-Economic and Policy Research Division’s Jessa A. Esteban led the discussions on the financial aspect of the project.

The project will also allow PHilMech to partner with restaurants and food stands in the area who use charcoal for their food production. This will then allow the agency to link the cooperator with those in the food industry as their supplier of the briquettes made from the cacao pod husks.

PHilMech believes that the success of this program would allow other cacao farmers in the country to adopt the agency’s recommended processing system, providing them, too, with an additional income for the cacao production.

The project is part of several projects under the agency’s COVID-19 Response Project, which aims to assist farmers of different commodities who are affected by the pandemic.
The agency will also be conducting a similar event with another cooperator in Davao in the first quarter of 2022.