According to their web site, in an article entitled "Making the World Safe for Chocolate" by Laura Sheahen, the pod borer insect is a menace to cacao farming. It worms its way into young cacao pods and destroys the beans. They appeared in the 1980's and severely impacted the Filipino cacao market. Prior to this, several decades before, it was a successful crop. At one time, the Philippines produced about 20% of the world's cocoa.
As an effort to revive this crop, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has a program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture aimed at supporting Filipino farmers, providing free seedlings, and paying for areas to be paved so that farmers have a clean place to dry their seeds properly.
It's interesting to see how CRS is helping the cacao farm industry while combating poverty.
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