By Kris M. Crismundo
MANILA, Mar 7 (PNA) — Organic products such as black rice and coco sugar from Mindanao are aiming to penetrate larger markets globally, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said in a press statement Friday.
This is after organic rice-producer Bios Dynamis and coco sugar-maker Tree Life Coco Sugar in Carmen, North Cotabato joined the world’s leading organic food products trade show, the 25th Biofach Organic Fair, held in Nuremberg, Germany.
The trade fair had 2,235 exhibitors from 76 countries, which include Philippines, and had visitors of 42,000 people from 135 countries.
Top buyers from these fair were from European markets such as Germany, Italy, France, and the Netherlands.
“The reception of the international community to our locally grown products is very promising. It only shows that indeed, there is a bigger market for our farmers and small to medium scale businesses, as long as they pass specific international standards,” North Cotabato Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza, said.
Prior to joining Biofach, Bios Dynamis was already exporting its organic black rice and other food products to Hong Kong, Macau, and China while Tree Life Coco Sugar had introduced its products to Netherlands and United Kingdom markets.
With their participation at Biofach, the two enterprises are now preparing orders from Netherlands, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand to be exported in the next six months.
Likewise, buyers from United States, South Africa, Singapore, and other Asian countries expressed their interest to these organic food products.
Mendoza noted that North Cotabato will continue to join even small international exhibits to showcase products of the province and other regions in Mindanao.
“This is again a strong indication of viability of Mindanao’s high value agricultural products penetrating larger international markets,” MinDA secretary Luwalhati Antonino, said.
MinDA has been intensifying its efforts to promote various products in Mindanao both in the local and international market. (PNA)