Chocolate industry in the Philippines name given by Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus in 1753 is "Theobroma cacao", is one of the 22 "Theobroma" species. "Theobroma" means “food for the Gods", from the Greek words "theo" (god) and "broma" (food). This species is utilized as raw materials for pharmaceutical products and cosmetics, however, cacao is primarily used for the production of chocolate and cocoa by processing the beans. In the Filipino language, chocolate is translated as "tsokolate", which is also a hot chocolate drink made from "tablea". "Tablea" are cacao tablets made from roasted and ground cacao nibs molded into rounds or tablets traditionally used in
Cacao swollen-shoot virus ambitious and costly eradication effort of any country in the world against a viral plant disease. Cacao swollen-shoot virus (CSSV) principally infects "Theobroma cacao" (cacao tree) and has a major effect on crop yields. Within one year of infection yields decrease by 25%, and within two years by 50%. The trees are usually killed within 3 to 4 years. Symptoms vary depending on the strain of virus. Main symptoms include: leaf chlorosis (interveinal), root necrosis, red vein banding in young leaves, small mottled pods, and stem/root swelling followed by die-back. CSSV has also been isolated from alternative hosts "Cola chlamydanta",