Local products showcased in Davao Agri-Trade Fair

THE month-long Davao Agri-Trade Fair, one of the regular events in this year's 27th Kadaywan Festival, has been helping exhibitors showcase the city's rich agricultural products and at the same time augmenting their income.

One of the exhibitors, Mae Magnaye, owner of the Magnaye's Garden, said she's selling ornamental plants mostly to upper class market.

She said some of the plants are not really delicate for as long as the owners know how much sunlight the plant needs.

"There are plants who cannot survive when exposed to too much sunlight, while some do," Magnaye said.

Among the plants Magnaye is selling are Bamboo Weeping and Silver Arrow at P1,500 and Broadleaf Anthorium at P500 to P25,000.

Magnaye said the fair is the only venue she can sell her plants and that it really helps her a lot in doing business, especially that she only displays whenever there's a bazaar.

"I have no place to sell my plants other than the Agri-Trade Fair, since I only grow my plants in our backyard. As a collector, this is my chance to sell my plants," she said, adding that she is a regular exhibitor of the fair for over 15 years now.

Most of the exhibitors flaunt their flora products, but some also sell fruits and furniture.

Evelyn Porgarillas, another exhibitor and owner of the Belen Fruitstand, said the fair helps her dispose her products instead of leaving them to rot since Manila has temporarily suspended the transportation of agri-products because of the Typhoon Gener.

She displayed some fruits like the durian at P50 a kilo for all varieties, mangosteen at P180 to P200 a kilo, lanzones at P80 per kilo and P100 a kilo for its duco variety, mango P55 a kilo, Santol at P15 a kilo, and Rambutan at P40 a kilo.

Meanwhile, Hillside Driftwood Furniture storekeeper Ronald

Cuming displays hand-made furniture hewn from native wood Molave.

The price of the furniture ranges from P6,000 to P120,000. He displays bar, sofa, chairs, tables, and Gazebo.

Orly Escarilla, spokesperson of the 27th Kadayawan Festival, said some 490 exhibitors participated in this year's Agri-Trade Fair which opened on Friday at the SM City Davao grounds.