However, in the DBFTA seminar, Mr. Cases and other ISDA members from Montaños, Alenter, Etch Kiu companies found out that they can explore selling to FTA markets with reduced or 0 tariff. Furthermore, they can import raw materials from these partner countries which will lessen their operational costs.
At present, the bottled sardines producers are confronted with problems in producing required volume of foreign buyers and lack of common cold storage facility which hamper their plans for business expansion. Fortunately, the DBFTA seminar served as a venue to thresh out these issues as the DBFTA team, DTI-Zamboanga del Norte Provincial Office, the LGU and Dipolog Chamber of Commerce were able to provide ample advice and proposed solutions to help the industry.
Dipolog City’s Vice Mayor Senen Angeles considered the DBFTA information campaign very timely in preparation for the city’s ambitious project entitled "SWIGAPORE 2030 under the Performance Governance System of the Institute for Solidarity in Asia”. SWIGAPORE is taken from the countries Switzerland and Singapore, the latter being part of ASEAN where Philippines has an existing FTA.
Dipolog Chamber of Commerce President Michael Malaca thanked the DTI for running the seminar. "FTA is a window to export and import”, said Mr. Malaca. "We also want to market coco water to the world market because Zamboanga del Norte is the 4th largest producing province in the Philippines”, he added.
The DBFTA session in Dipolog was attended by more than 100 participants. Aside from the bottled sardines makers, there were corn producers, bakery and restaurant owners, business development advisers, smoked fish makers, members of the academe and government representatives who participated in the seminar. - https://www.affordablecebu.com/
