DTI-Davao stages Speed Matching at Abreeza Mall

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Davao on Monday staged the first Speed Matching event that linked small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to prospective buyers at the Abreeza Mall Davao.

Through the Speed Matching, buyers can make on the spot placing of orders on goods.

DTI-Davao City Field Office head Teolulo Pasawa said a total of 39 sellers from Davao Region participated in the Speed Matching. These SMEs brought with them their local products, including both foods and non-foods.

Pasawa said some 21 buyers also joined the event looking for possible sellers who can supply them with sustainable stocks of food and non-food products. He said 15 of these buyers came from the Davao City while six were from Cebu City.

Pasawa said the Cebu buyers were from executives from hotels and other accommodation establishments. Some of these establishments are Marco Polo Hotel Plaza Cebu, Plantation Bay Resort and Spa, Parklane International Hotel, and Imperial Palace.

The DTI official said Marco Polo Hotel Cebu demanded about 30 kilos of pineapples to be supplied on a daily basis. He said transactions are now ongoing between the hotel executives and pineapple growers on the transport cost.

"Right now, executives want to know first how much will it cost them if pineapples are shipped to Cebu)," Pasawa said in the vernacular.

Pasawa added these hotels are also demanding for vegetables and Peking Duck.

The holding of Speed Matching not only benefited the SMEs but also buyers, since the cost of some products in the region, especially the pineapples, are way cheaper compared to the market prices some of fruits and vegetables in Cebu, according to Pasawa.

"Hotel owners in Cebu buy pineapples at high prices as much as P40 a kilo," he said, adding that Davao Region has a sustainable supply for pineapples and that he is positive to keep markets from Cebu.

Pasawa said Speed Matching can help buyers cut cost on the expenditures since they can place their orders directly from the suppliers without the middlemen.

Hotel owners also need a steady stock of fruits and vegetables to supply their affiliate hotels, even outside Cebu City, he explained.

The staging of the Speed Matching went well and received positive feedbacks from both SMEs and buyers and that they plan to make the event a part of every trade fair. (ALC)