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Friday, September 12, 2003
Malaysians eye partnership with RP coco farmers
MALAYSIANS are considering the possibility of a business partnership with Filipinos engaged in the coconut industry, particularly those who are cultivating coconut palm and those manufacturing palm oil, Philippine Commercial Trade Attaché for Malaysia Glenn Peñaranda said Thursday.
"Malaysia is a good partner bacause they have the technology and the vast coconut plantation," he said in an interview Wednesday.
At present, about one million hectares of land are planted with coconut palm in Sabah, Malaysia, according to Peñaranda.
With the lands for the coconut cultivation shrinking and its international demand increasing, Malaysians are looking for other areas to convert into plantations.
"There seems to have no more place for the Malaysians to plant their coconut. So they (Malaysians) have looked at Mindanao and found out that it is has a soil and a climate suitable for palm oil," he said.
To date, Peñaranda said the country is "preparing to receive the investments from Malaysians" but needs to study or effect some policy reforms to make investment and business climate more viable for the foreign businessmen.
"The country, through the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) are looking on how we can complement the booming international palm oil industry being enjoyed by the Malaysians at the moment," he said.
Peñaranda said Malaysians import a large bulk of Mindanao's agricultural products particularly processed fruits and vegetables, dried seaweeds and rubber. CEU
(September 12, 2003 issue) |
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