DAVAO CITY, June 30 (PNA) — The Davao Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) which export products to various international markets are urging the government to implement the Sasa Port Modernization project here amid accusation of an overpriced project cost.
Banana exporter Ireneo Dalayon, chief executive officer of the Federation of Cooperatives (FEDCO), said that SME exporters see the project as beneficial to small exporters because they will have less cost on transportation and the products will be transported from the farm to the port at a shorter time.
Even if there are already existing private ports operating here, he said these are also all company-owned.
Dalayon, however, said they are with other stakeholders questioning the project bid price at P18 billion but the small exporters want Sasa Port to be operating efficiently.
Fedco is the umbrella organization of banana growers’ cooperatives composed of farmers who are Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries operating in Davao City and the provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur and Compostela Valley.
It supervises the member banana cooperatives to make them capable of directly dealing with foreign buyers and serves as marketing arm of the banana growers which opened direct international buyers to small players in the industry.
Meanwhile, Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) Davao Region president Ferdinand Maranon said the exporters group is for a public-private partnership of the Sasa port modernization project because this will be beneficial to the economy.
With the presence of other existing ports already operating mostly in Davao del Norte, he said the exporters now have the option where to ship their goods and which forwarder gives a better rate favorable to them.
He said service like this is among the things that “we consider and that, we wanted our members to be updated on the latest development” during the Mindanao Exporters Congress to be hosted by PhilExport-Davao on July 23 to 25 at the SMX Convention Center at SM Lanang Premier where about 300 participants are expected to join. (PNA)