Banana chips firm can’t go global
-A A +AFriday, June 29, 2012
A BANANA chips company in North Cotabato cannot yet expand globally despite acquiring Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17025 because it temporarily seized operation following a “political crisis” in China.
Emmanuel Zamoras, manager of Magpet Agro-Industrial Resources Cooperative (Magirco), a company that manufactures banana chips in Magpet, North Cotabato, said it is unfortunate for the firm that it can’t export its product yet due to market failure in China.
Magirco was assisted by the US Agency for International Development (USAid) through its Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) program to acquire the HACCP and ISO international certifications.
“We were forced to seize operation since last week of April until now because we don’t have a market in China anymore. We had produced 50 tons of finished product but we can’t dispose it even in the local market,” Zamoras said. “We were even forced to cut the services of our 148 employees.”
HACCP is a system that ensures food production meets safety requirements to protect public health. ISO 17025 makes sure that laboratories that test products meet certain requirements.
Magirco was one of the 10 Mindanao food companies that received their respective international certifications during a turnover of certificate in Cagayan de Oro Thursday conducted by the USAid-GEM.
US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas personally handed the certification to the firms during a short program.
“We didn’t lose hope because we believe that there is a time for everything. Maybe soon the political crisis in China will slowly fade, so we have our opportunity again,” he said.
He said the company has already sent a letter to the office of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala asking possible help from the government to solve their concerns on both local and foreign markets.
He added Magirco previously produces an average of 5,000 kilos of finished banana chips a day from 20,000 kilos of raw material.
“We look forward to really enter the world of exportation. With our HACCP and ISO certifications, time will come, we will have our break,” he said.
Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on June 30, 2012.
Business
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