02/10/2026
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๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ง๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐จ ๐๐๐๐๐จ ๐&๐ ๐ซ
DAVAO CITY โ The Southern Mindanao Agriculture Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development Consortium (SMAARRDEC), together with the Davao City Cacao Industry Council (DCCIC), ICT Davao, RAISE-UGMARA XI, and the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) Knowledge and Technology Transfer Division, held the Cacao Innovation Lab: Davao Cacao IndustryโAcademe Reverse Pitching Forum on October 1, 2026, at the USeP-Obrero Campus.
The event convened cacao industry representatives, academic institutions, technology business incubators (TBIs), and innovation support organizations to identify research, development, and innovation (RDI) solutions for industry needs.
The forum adopted a reverse pitching format, where industry stakeholders presented key challenges and technology gaps, and academic and technology partners proposed potential solutions.
Discussions focused on four key areas: regenerative farm production and biological management, processing and product development, digitalization and traceability, and market access and business intelligence.
For farm production, participants proposed a Cacao Nutrient and Biological Input Monitoring System to enable early detection of nutrient deficiencies and track biological inputs. Drone-based imaging for smallholder cacao farms was also identified as a potential tool for crop assessment and monitoring.
In processing and product development, discussions emphasized standardization, food safety, regulatory compliance, product formulation, equipment, and waste utilization. Existing technologies, including USeP's Multi-Stage Cacao Processor and DSSC's image-processing technology for cacao bean grading, were identified as potential solutions.
Digitalization discussions addressed farm traceability, digital records, QR systems, farmer databases, mobile nutrient diagnosis, and market information. Proposed solutions included integrated farmer and product databases, traceability systems, unified datasets, and market intelligence tools.
For market access, stakeholders highlighted the need for reliable market information, clear buyer requirements, quality standards, product branding, and documentation of successful Davao cacao enterprises. They also identified sensor-based monitoring of cacao fermentation and technology incubation and commercialization as potential areas for collaboration.
The forum identified potential RDI areas to support industry-academe collaboration, technology development, validation, incubation, and commercialization. The reverse pitching approach strengthened efforts to build a more demand-driven and industry-responsive cacao innovation ecosystem in Davao.