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The Philippines opened a new export market for its cacao industry with the first commercial shipment of fermented cacao beans to New Zealand
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The 6,000-kilogram shipment was sourced directly from Kapalong, Davao del Norte and departed on July 13 for the Port of Lyttelton
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The shipment is nearly equivalent to the Philippines’ total cacao exports of 6,232 metric tons in 2025
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The shipment was facilitated by Pemline Export Trading Co. in partnership with the Kapalong Cooperative
The Philippines has opened a new export market for its cacao industry with the first commercial shipment of fermented cacao beans to New Zealand, offering local growers another outlet.
The 6,000-kilogram shipment, sourced directly from Kapalong, Davao del Norte, was formally dispatched by the Department of Agriculture (DA) at Headcorp CY in Carmen, Davao del Norte, the DA said in a statement.
It departed from the Philippines on July 13 and is scheduled to reach the Port of Lyttelton in mid-August.
The shipment is nearly equivalent to the country’s total cacao exports of 6,232 metric tons in 2025, highlighting the potential of the New Zealand market for Philippine cacao producers.
READ: Davao Del Norte resumes cacao exports with shipment to New Zealand
Agriculture secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said expanding agricultural exports would give farmers access to larger markets 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.”
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 its compliance with New Zealand’s import requirements.
The cacao beans underwent a 120-hour aluminum phosphide fumigation process, followed by the required aeration period, before the shipment completed its 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,” Agriculture undersecretary Philip Young said.
The shipment supports the DA’s export drive under Department Order No. 12, Series of 2026, via its High-Value Export Crops and Agri-Fishery Export Development and Promotion unit.
The New Zealand shipment gives Philippine cacao farmers a foothold in a high-standard market with potential for repeat orders. It also advances the government’s goal to make agriculture more export-oriented and competitive and helps narrow the country’s agricultural trade gap, DA said.
