5. Presentation Outline
Biology of Cacao and market opportunity
BWG- Budwood Garden Establishment
Commercial cacao nursery establishment
Cacao Farm Establishment
Care and Maintenance of Cacao Tree
Cacao Harvesting and Post harvest Management
INM on Cacao
IPM and IDM on Cacao Production
7. CACAO
(Theobroma cacao L.)
•Official name “Theobroma” is
latin word meaning…
“ Food of the Gods”
Is a tropical evergreen tree that
originated in amazon basin
where it grows in the shaded
rainforest understory.
8. • Three Main Varities of
Cacao.
1. Criollo (native)-Aroma
• Venezuela (good taste and
aroma- scarcity today
because susceptible to pest
and disease.
2. Forastero-Amazon region
• Means “foreigner” in Spanish
• high yielding resistant to
disease
• Most ubiquitous variety being
the ”Amenolado” found in Brazil
and West Africa
3. Trinitario-is a hybrid between the
Criollo and Forastero trees and
originated in Trinidad.
12. Nature of Cacao
1. Classified as cross-pollinated species
2. Pollinated by insect (particularly midges) that visits
cacao flowers early in the morning
3. Seeds developed are product of cross pollination
which heterozygous in nature and often result to
segregation.
4. Seedling develop from seeds are usually showing
variability in terms of growth, flowering and fruiting
behavior and some plant are abnormal
13. Reproduction: fruit, flower &
pollination
• The flowers (and the fruit) are on the
trunk of the tree, and it flowers (and
fruits) all year long. This means that
Cacao has the very unusual quality
of having flowers and fruit on the
tree at the same time!!
• It takes 5 to 6 months, to progress
from blossom bud to ripe fruit. On
cultivated Cacao plantations, only 3
out of 1000 flowers are pollinated,
fertilized and progress to fruit!
14. • There are many flowers, often waves of flowers
covering the main stem of the tree! The white
flowers are odorless.
• There are more flowers at the end of season than
at the beginning. Cacao is pollinated by midges
(gnat-like insects) and occasionally by bats.
• Pollination usually occurs in the morning and the
flowers die in 24 hrs if not pollinated!
Reproduction: fruit, flower &
pollination
15. • Cacao Flowers are
hermaphroditic but are self-
incompatible (cannot fertilize
by themselves).
Reproduction: fruit, flower &
pollination
16. • Fruits are produced throughout the year,
simultaneous with more flowering. It takes take 4 to
5 months to achieve the pod size, and then yet
another month to ripen.
Reproduction: fruit, flower &
pollination
18. q For food (chocolate, beverage,
condiments and other food items
q For cosmetic purposes (lotions, lipsticks
and other cosmetic products)
q For health or well being
19. WHY CACAO?
• Cacao is a cash crop that can provide a good
income
• Cacao is a perennial crop with relatively short
gestation period
• Demand for cacao is growing and a market is
readily available
• Cacao can be intercropped with other cash
crops, especially coconut trees
(COURTESY Kennemer Foods International KFI)
20.
21.
22. q Countries that falls within and near the
equator.
q Countries with tropical climatic condition
q Countries such as Brazil, Ecuador,
Honduras, Ghana, Cameron, Ivory Coast,
Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and
Indonesia
• Note: heavy users of cacao are 1st world
countries in temperate zone
Countries producing cocoa
23.
24. v
West Africa is nearly 70% of the world
supply
Source: Yee Chow, MARS Inc
