Around 80 delegates from the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) will participate in the three-day BIMP-EAGA Trade and Tourism Fair in Davao City scheduled for November 9-11. Romeo L. Castañaga, regional director of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Davao, announced during the “Wednesdays Media Forum at the Habi at Kape” that each BIMP-EAGA member country will have its own pavilion at the Abreeza Mall activity center, showcasing tourism opportunities and products and services from small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Castañaga emphasized the significance of the event in providing local enterprises a platform to display their products and services for export and domestic purposes. He expressed hope that the fair would help local SMEs access potential markets, noting that Mindanao-based delegates are ready for export in terms of quality, production volume, and engagement with international buyers. The Philippines will feature a range of food and non-food products, including Halal goods, cacao, coffee, coconuts, processed fruits and nuts, and textile and fashion accessories produced by SMEs across Mindanao. Business-to-business matching activities will also be conducted to connect local SMEs with potential investors. Established in 1994, BIMP-EAGA is a sub-regional economic cooperation initiative aimed at boosting trade, investments, and tourism through new shipping routes, air links, and power interconnection projects. For Mindanao, Castañaga highlighted efforts to strengthen the Halal sector and develop additional ecozones to host manufacturing facilities, ensuring available power and infrastructure for potential investors. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
