Vancouver, BC
Philippine-Canada partnership aims to help Filipino farmers earn more, diversify farm export basket
By Charmaine Y. Rodriguez
Craving for mangga with bagoong lately?
Worry no more as fresh carabao mangoes, as well as the beloved mangosteen and durian from Davao, will be available in selected Canadian supermarkets as the Philippines continues to expand its agricultural market here with its top produce.
The mangoes were sent off from the NAIA Complex, through a private-public partnership, under the Department of Trade and Industry’s Outbound Business Matching Mission program.
Vancouver-based distributor Fresh Makers Ltd. imported the one metric ton or 250 cartons of mangoes last September 18 via Air Canada.
This is the second mango shipment as the first batch was sent to Toronto in June in an effort to create new income opportunities for Filipino farmers and minimize the agricultural trade deficit in the Philippines.
Last Wednesday, nearly a metric ton of fresh durian and mangosteen were also shipped out from the country to Vancouver via Philippine Airlines.
Another shipment of 300 kilos of durian and 200 kilos of mangosteen was scheduled to depart for Toronto on September 24.
Philippine Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the shipment is the realization of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to the Department of Agriculture (DA) to find new destinations for Philippine farm products, according to a DA press release.
“The latest shipments of fresh durian and mangosteen is part of our broader effort of the Marcos administration to find new markets for local agricultural commodities to bolster farm incomes and sustain rural development,” Tiu Laurel said.
The Canadian shipments come as the DA pushes a wider export agenda covering high-value products such as durian, cacao, coffee, okra and other crops. The department has identified emergingcommodities with export potential as it seeks to diversify the country’s farm export basket.
The Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Toronto facilitated the exporter-buyer connection, which made the shipment happen.
If you are Philippine-based processed food business engaged in the mango, pineapple, ube, cocoa, kalamansi, or banana value chain and looking to enter the Canadian market, apply for the Climate-Resilient Agri-Food Trade Promotion Support (CRAFTS) Project.
According to the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, selected enterprises may receive free export coaching, Canadian market guidance, certification and packaging support, market intelligence, buyer linkages, and assistance in adopting sustainable business practices.
Apply here: https://ee.kobotoolbox.org/x/Qcbj9Ii3
The CRAFTS Project is implemented by DTI-Export Marketing Bureau in partnership with Trade Facilitation Office Canada and funded by Global Affairs Canada.