CABUYAO CITY, Laguna – Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Regional Director Marilou Q. Toledo on Monday afternoon expressed optimism for new quality food and non-food products from the Calabarzon Region, especially from Laguna food processors to be exported to China, Canada and the Middle East.
“This is now the time and opportunity for us to improve our products so that we can market to China as it is a big market. We already have a Filipino licensed importer in China who needs the priority food products such as banana chips, coconut chips, coconut sugar and dried mangoes initially,” Toledo disclosed in an interview with the Philippine News Agency.
Toledo was one of the guest speakers at the day-long “First Young Entrepreneurs Summit” (YES) themed “Empowering Young Entrepreneurs: Transforming the Business Environment through Innovation, Sustainability and Resiliency” at the Francisco Balagtas auditorium of the Malayan Colleges Laguna here.
She said Filipino importer wants to put all these food products in convenience stores in China with the expected huge consumers wanting new products, because they have the money and they want to try other products.
“Laguna for example, is good source kasi una meron nang association dito ng food processors (because we already have an association of food processors here). So we just have to tap the Association of Laguna Food Processors (ALAFOP) and the Calabarzon Food Hub with the DTI, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Laguna State Polytechnic University (LSPU),” she added, suggesting to just enhance the existing DTI Shared Service Facilities (SSF) equipment the association has acquired.
Toledo assured the DTI and collaborating government agencies’ assistance and support to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), especially with the department’s Export Management Bureau – which can also assist MSMEs in upgrading their products.
“Gaya nito ngayon sa (just like now with the) “Young Entrepreneurship Summit,” the world is our market -not only the local but the world market. We need to go into the process of really intensifying entrepreneurial development because you cannot just produce a product today and tomorrow you can already export,” she said.
She urged MSMEs to improve and undergo all the legal requirements while undertaking the process of product development, packaging, labeling – “all of that to suit to the needs of your market.”
On the Calabarzon Food Hub, Toledo recommended to start with the existing facilities “on what we already have but from there, we build on maximizing the supply of the new processed export quality products.”
“Kasi napakalaki ng supply hindi lang yong (because we have the huge supply in) the new May Exports Philippines as a new export center and logistics hub in Calamba City which is now exporting food and non-food products to the Middle East markets,” she pointed out, adding that the new export logistics hub would boost products of the Laguna food producers group.
She said that May Exports Philippines, through its marketing arm, could connect with MSMEs like the DTI-led business-to-business (B2B) session where MSMEs can present their products.
On the Canadian market, Toledo disclosed that DTI-led Calabarzon delegations comprising MSMEs from Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon are in New York and New Jersey this week for the five-day “Fiesta Filipino” for the roadshow of Calabarzon products.
“By the third week of August, we will also have the launch of the ‘makapuno’ coco industry in Toronto, Canada and parallel to that is the Trade Fair featuring our MSMEs for the launching of the coco sugar from Alabat, Quezon,” she said.
She called for the need to work closely with partner agencies like the Department of Agriculture for the supply of coconuts, coco sugar and especially the “makapuno” because of current developments to provide the makapuno requirements of the Canadian market initially, and later on with the whole world.
According to Toledo, the makapuno island project development is being piloted in Alabat Island, Quezon to ensure the stable and even maximize supply with “the objective to make our overseas Filipinos to become overseas Filipino investors through the development of the makapuno industry.”
She stressed that DTI Calabarzon is not only connecting with the manufacturing sector but with DA’s support to engage farmers as direct suppliers using the value chain approach so farmers and the agriculture sector would earn profits from their business ventures.
“Who will supply kung babaratin natin ang mga farmers (who will supply if we take the farmers for granted). So we have to give them the value of their production. All-inclusive – dapat walang maiwanan. Dapat wala ng middleman, dapat i-link natin at yan ang gusto nating mangyari (they should not be left behind, there’s no need for the middleman and we need to link the farmers the way we wanted it to happen),” Toledo said.
She said that farmers like their cooperatives should profit and do the marketing and benefit them directly like the makapuno project through joint efforts of the DTI, DA, Philippine Coconut Authority, DOST, cooperatives and the local government to help them.
“Actually, hindi na kailangan ang loan kasi maraming pera ang mga OFWs natin. Ang kanilang gusto saan nila idedeposit ang pera at kailangan maprotreksiyunan sila (there’s no need for the loan because our OFWs have the money and they just want to deposit their earnings which should be protected) while waiting for their coconut trees to grow,” Toledo said, citing “LandBank should be there to protect their money.”
Meanwhile, Cabuyao City Mayor Atty. Rommel A. Gecolea described “the first “Young Entrepreneurs Summit” as the “real storm” that opens an overload of information and opportunities for young entrepreneurs to both hone the nature of their business skills and nurture them.”
“Ang totoong nagpapalago sa negosyo ay sipag, tiyaga, talino at galing. Ang bumubuhay sa ekonomiya ay negosyo. Pero ang totoong puhunan ay ang kanilang galing (the real boost of business is hard work, perseverance, intellect and competence, but the real capital is their competence),” Gecolea said.
He vowed to sustain the summit to inspire more local entrepreneurs, create jobs and livelihood and generate income among stakeholders and improve living standards.
The summit gathered resources speakers, among them Clarke Nebrao, ALAFOP chairman; Rommel Geredias, former chairman of the ASEAN young Entrepreneurs Association, Toledo and CEOs and business executives.
The summit, which featured a series of mentoring, business consultancy session and discussions on the entrep mindset, model, market and mentoring, culminated to the signing of the YES Commitment Wall and the launching of the Young Entrepreneurs Society of Cabuyao and the “Go Asenso” Caravan. (Saul Pa-a/PNA)
