SOME 10,000 guests and visitors are expected to flock the three-day Davao Agri Trade Expo (Date) 2019, which opens Thursday, September 26.
Date 2019 chairperson Val Turtur, in a phone interview with SunStar Davao Wednesday, September 25, said guests and visitors are not only coming from Davao Region but also other parts of Mindanao like Caraga and Northern Mindanao.
He added that these guests and visitors are expected to visit the exhibit area and attend the technical seminars and plenary sessions at the SMX Convention Center, SM Lanang Premier, Davao City from September 26 to 28, 2019.
Turtur said importers from China and South Korea are expected to also attend Date 2019. The Chinese and Koreans have expressed interest in sourcing coconuts and durian from local growers.
Some 100 firms, ranging from agribusinesses to support services for the agriculture industry, will also be showcasing their products and services.
Turtur said guests and visitors will also be attending Date 2019 to be participants of the different plenary session and technical seminars they have prepared.
Among the plenary sessions include farm tourism by the Department of Tourism (DOT); Understanding the Rice Tariffication Law that will be discussed by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and National Food Authority (NFA); Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) director Romulo de la Rosa will tackle the future of the coconut industry; and Landbank of the Philippines president Cecilia C. Borromeo will discuss financing for the agricultural sector.
There will also be topics on rice inbreeding, export opportunities for agricultural produce, and encouraging the youth to go into agriculture.
Some of the technical seminars during the three-day event include aquaculture, mushroom products, potential of dairy products, biosecurity against African Swine Fever, and online marketing for agri-products.
Turtur said they are also expecting Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to attend Date 2019. They have also invited Senator Cynthia Villar and DA Secretary William Dar to attend the event. Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, Mindanao Development Authority chairperson, will deliver a keynote message on the last day of Date 2019.
Meanwhile, Turtur said instead of focusing on only one sector of the agricultural industry, Date 2019 will highlight the whole industry.
“We will be featuring all the agricultural products from crops to fisheries to livestock,” he said.
Turtur said they are doing this following the growing interest of importers in Mindanao agricultural products.
He said Date 2019 will also serve as a venue for them to determine how to meet the challenges the agriculture industry is facing like production problems and ageing farmers.