The ever-bearing Red Criollo cacao at the Sarian Farm in Teresa, Rizal is becoming a favorite of visitors. They usually pose with the fruitful cacao for their pictures. The latest to visit and have her picture taken with the cacao tree is Sen. Cynthia Villar, chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food.

Sen. Villar, by the way, is developing a new farm near where she lives. She said she wants to produce chrysanthemum so she does not have to spend P80,000 for flowers a month. Also she will produce pinakbet and chopsuey type vegetables for home use, saying she spends P40,000 for vegetables a month. Then she will develop a fruit orchard where the family can pick fresh fruits for home consumption.

This particular cacao tree which is now more than six years old has been bearing fruit non-stop since it was 18 months old from planting in the ground. The seeds are all germinated to produce seedlings for planting. Commercial planters from Negros, Quezon and Palawan have obtained their planting materials from Teresa.

The fruits of different stages of growth emerge from just a few inches from the ground up to the top.  Some are near-ripening while there are new flowers  and younger fruits emerging.