OVER 8,000 trade visitors composed of agri-traders, businessmen, crop consumers, and guests are expected to convene on September 22 to 24 for this year’s 18th Davao Agri-Trade Expo (Date) at the SMX Convention Center, SM Lanang Premier, Davao City.
The three-day event, which will highlight Mindanao’s crops such as cacao, coffee, coconut, cassava, corn, and rice and the importance of marketing, is centered on the theme: “Bridging the Gap: Global Opportunities for Mindanao’s Golden Crops.”
Department of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol and Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez are expected to grace the event.
The event is divided into three sections: Domestic Trade: Meeting the Davao Suppliers and Traders, International Market Updates, and Financing.
Invited speakers in these fields are to discuss recent updates and opportunities of Mindanao’s Golden Crops.
Topics like Marketing Trends and Updates, Techniques and Strategy in Packaging, Labeling and Branding Agricultural Products, and Industry Road Mapping for Agricultural Products are some of the main focus on the first part of the conference.
The second part of the conference will be about International Market Updates. Exportation will be tackled in the third part of the congress.
The Date 2016 will also be having free Technical Seminars which will be covering four topics: “More than just our staple food: Value-adding in rice”, “From Bean to Bar: Opportunities in Cacao Farming to Processing”, “Lobster Training” and “Urban Gardening.”
In its 18th year, Date will bring for the first time the Agri-Marketing Conference which will happen on September 23. It will be a parallel event focused on providing the participants on the techniques in supplying local and international market, tapping export markets, and financing with partner banks showing special lending windows for farmers.
The event will bring in industry experts and big companies (foreign and local) who are buying and importing Mindanao’s golden crops. DCCCII vice president for agribusiness and Date chair Teresita Pascual said the agri-marketing conference is intended to strengthen the linkage between the government and small and big private players in the agriculture sector.
John Carlo Tria, program director of Date 2016, said that they intend to double exhibitors’ sales to P168 million when asked on the target sales for this year.
Bonifacio Tan, DCCCII president, said that it was in 2013 when the chamber highlighted the Mindanao golden cops convening 63 exhibitors and 8,000 trade visitors. It generated around P84 million in exhibitor’s sales. For this year, over 130 exhibitors are expected to join.
These are corporate farms, equipment dealers, manufacturers, among others from across the country. The three-day event led by DCCCII is in partnership with Davao's: Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry, Mindanao Development Authority, Philippine Coconut Authority, and Bureau of Plant and Industry. (Joedelle Marie Brigoli Israel, ADDU intern /With ASP)