On Export Potentials

Kidapawan City - The President of the Metro Kidapawan City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MKCCCIF) after visiting Saudi Arabia and Kuwait last month was amazed by the limitless demand for various agricultural products in said countries and upon his return here has embarked on massive campaign for support in order to capture such markets.

Dr. Ramon Floresta, MKCCCIF president, told members about the potentials for export for banana, fruits and vegetables and even for halal foods, during the opening of the Cotabato Business and Investment Center here last month.

Some members of the Islamic communities here attended said activity and the Muslim communities had decided to form their organization Tri-people Farmers Marketing Association aimed to support and grab the opportunities in aforementioned markets.

The organization president Mr. Jasper Adrales, Jimmy Masukat, vice president, and Bai Salibabay Masukat, treasurer, met with the Cotabato Watch early this week and informed it about their future plans in order for them to be with the mainstream market.

Mrs Masukat said that Muslim communities here lacks connections even in the Islamic world and there is need for Muslim communities to be in the islamic market grid where potentials abound, she said.

A former VSO international volunteer Mr. James B. Zamora who worked in Bangladesh also told the group that many islamic investors want to connect with local communities but the problem is that nobody can be trusted at the local level.

Dr. Floresta said that islamic investors also expressed to put up big capital later for local investments once the local partners are tested for their sincerity in complying with volumes and quality of products to be exported.

On the other hand, Mr. Zamora, who have been working with Muslim communities here since the signing of GRP and MNLF Peace Agreement in 1996, said that the potentials for investments with the Islamic businessmen are really great. However, the problem is that there is lack of social preparation among the communities who are wary about foreign investors who would be shunned off more often by placard-bearing people.

He said, social preparation is very important component in any investment efforts as it will prepare the communities of new developments in capital-building and partnership among local and international stakeholders.

In the past few years here since investors come in stiff opposition to multinational companies and corporations have been greeted with opposition and criticisms by oppositionists.

But observers claimed that they (oppositionists) cannot provide a concrete step how to address misunderstanding among local populace and the would-be investors.

VSO Volunteer James Zamora said that many of the local farmers want immediate dollars or higher yields of their lands, to the extent that they are commanding prices which are very high and not tenable. The farmers seem not to understand the cost of investments and most often they are thinking that they are only being made as milking cow by multinational companies.

Mr. Zamora added that while there is truth to some allegations the fact is that multinationals and corporations doing business in North Cotabato have not explored widely the space for dialogues and information campaigns on both sides.

It was also noted that local government units lacked the steps necessary in view of the investments and in some occasions posed as stumbling the hindrance for such investments, observers said.

With the formation of the Muslim communities and assisting them on capability-building the local chamber of commerce stressed said that there is strong possibility that it will succeed in its initiatives to support peace and development efforts in North Cotabato.

At present the local chamber of commerce has already designed the Liguasan Marsh Development Program which will engage the local communities in various economic programs in order to sustain whatever initiatives there are in support to peace efforts.