Monday, July 23, 2007 Sarangani to launch mango brand for export
ALABEL, Sarangani -- Mango producers in Malungon, Sarangani are eyeing to supply the markets in the Middle East and Australia following the successful shipment of 1,000 kilos of mango to Bahrain recently, officials said.
This developed as the Municipal Government of Malungon gears to launch soon the "Sarangani Golden Mango" brand in line with efforts to penetrate the export market.
Sarangani Governor Miguel Rene Dominguez vowed to throw the Provincial Government's support to the efforts as he lauded the entrepreneurial spirit of the local mango growers and the collaborative effort of the local government to carve a niche in markets abroad.
Records from the Department of Trade and Industry-Sarangani provincial office showed that Malungon is the biggest mango producing town in Central Mindanao region with 5,000 hectares of fully fruit-bearing trees.
Central Mindanao covers the provinces of South and North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato.
The town plans to triple the areas planted to 15,000 hectares of mango by 2010. Mango is the One Town One Product (Otop) of Malungon and at the same time, the provincial Otop of Sarangani.
Earlier, Nenita Barroso, provincial Trade director, said that Australia is interested in importing mangoes from Sarangani province.
She confirmed reports that Australia wants to conduct a survey on mango plantations in Sarangani province in line with the bid for the locally-grown mangoes to enter the Australian market.
"It's a good opportunity for our mango growers. There is a need for the local mango growers to seek export destinations to avoid over-supply during harvest season," she noted.
Barroso added there are only few local processing firms in the area "that can accommodate mango supplies during peak seasons."
At the recent business forum at the provincial capitol lobby dubbed "Usapang Negosyo," Dominguez pointed out that building confidence in government would attract more tourists and investors to Sarangani.
Dominguez claimed he is bent on bringing in more investors to Sarangani as he lauded the small and medium entrepreneurs for their efforts in helping boost the business industry in the province.
He said this hard work "is now paying off with the number of investments and tourist arrivals increasing every year."
Bronx Hebrona, president of Sarangani Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc., said the chamber is assisting the province poised itself as leading supplier of prime agricultural and fishery products locally and internationally.
He said the chamber is also promoting entrepreneurship in the province to complement with its vision of expanding the market and business activities of small and medium enterprises.
Usapang Negosyo opened as highlight of the business event dubbed United Towards a Strong, Wealthy, and Globally Competitive Sarangani (Uswag) in celebration of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Smed) month.
The provincial Trade office organized the event in cooperation with the Provincial Government of Sarangani, the Smed Council, and the provincial chamber of commerce.
Under the banner of Uswag Sarangani, the celebration of Smed month which will culminate on July 31 features various SME-related activities expected "to provide impetus and needed boost to SME development initiatives in the province."
Uswag Sarangani carries the theme "Ang Galing Mo Pinoy, Go Negosyo."
