DAVAO CITY – Export industry stakeholders from all over Mindanao will once again gather on the 2nd Mindanao Exporters Congress and Trade Expo slated on July 23-25 which will be held at the SMX Convention Center, SM Lanang.
The 1st Mindanao Exporters Congress (MEC) happened last 2013. For this year, the event is anchored on the theme, “Integrating the Mindanao SMEs in the Global Value Chain”.
“The theme focuses on the symbolic relationships of the different industries within the Mindanao export value chain,” said Ferdinand Marañon, Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. 11 (Philexport) president.
“It highlights today’s modern technology contribution to the export industry’s overall growth by bridging the supply and demand gap,” Marañon added.
The event will be hosted by Philexport Mindanao chapters: Davao Region, Caraga, General Santos, Zamboanga and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Marañon also said that “the Mindanao Exporters Congress and Trade Expo will underscore Mindanao’s contribution to the Philippine’s overall growth and its potential in the global market.”
The three-day event will showcase Mindanao export products, services, technology innovations, plenary and break-out business matching sessions.
“For this congress, we will have exhibit booths. We are going to showcase the services that can be done by our exporters,” said Marañon.
They have also invited the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to display the latest innovations of technology just like the new packaging systems, food processing systems and the like.
“The event will be participated by more than a hundred exporters all over Mindanao. Not only the bananas are going to be featured here, but also our coconut industry which is very popular internationally,” he added.
Philexport Director Rene Dalayon said “we will help the coconut industry because coconut is really expensive when you are in the US (United States), the demand is high.”
He also said that they are contracting all the regional presidents of the old Coconut Producers Federation (Cocofed) to attend the congress in order to address the issues and concerns and come up with a resolution intended for the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) chairman and the secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
This year’s congress, resource speakers and guests will come from various chambers of commerce, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and other public and private trade and industry partners.(davaotoday.com)
