Sunday, May 13, 2007 Central Visayas exporters set double digit growth over 4 years
EXPORTERS in Cebu City have targeted double digit growth a year between 2007 and 2010 and make the city the export hub of central and southern Philippines in four years.
The target will translate to Central Visayas’ share of US$2.2 billion in total exports for the whole of last year to US$3.7 billion by the end of 2010.
The fighting target was unveiled by Philexport Cebu president Jay Juvallo during a planning conference in Cebu City held early this week with leaders of Philexport Manila and the Export Development Council.
The regional planning conferences form part of a national effort by the EDC to work out a new Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) out of the regional plans made by each of the exporting regions in the whole country.
The rapid growth rate, the exporters explained, assumes that the issues raised during the consultation conference will be addressed by concerned government agencies dealing with exporters.
Summarizing their goal for the planned period, the exporters said “by 2010, Central Visayas will be the center of all export activity for Central and Southern Philippines with a conducive environment-friendly business climate that is founded on ideal infrastructure, highly-skilled and innovative human resources, good governance and ample raw material supply.”
Among the many issues that the exporters want addressed, red tape and the accompanying high cost attached to it appeared to be the most common.
They complained over the difficulty of securing business permits from local government units, opportunistic airport services and unreceipted fees paid to Bureau of Plant Industry people by fruit exporters.
They also pointed out that they are made to pay unreceipted facilitation fees in airports and seaports, high taxes on imported raw materials that include 20 percent excise tax, three percent import duties plus 12 percent VAT.
They likewise cited the high cost of inter-island shipping, additional fees for the x-ray of their goods at points of exit and too many signatories in export documents.
Electric supply in Central Visayas is not only unstable but the cost is too high.
Lastly, they pined over the practice of the banks to demand for hard collateral for loans and the difficulty facet by small and medium enterprises in accessing credit.
On the positive side, the exporters called on their enterprise members to pay their workers well and offer scholarships to college students whom they will hire later to be able to keep their highly-skilled workers. (Abe P. Belena/Philexport News and Features/Sunnex)
