National vegetable congress set in General Santos City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, July 2 (PNA) -- General Santos City, dubbed as the “Tuna Capital” of the Philippines, will help boost another key agriculture sector when it hosts the three-day 7th National Vegetable Congress.

Central Mindanao Vegetable Industry Development Council (CEMVIDEC) President Jovic Santos said the vegetable congress set from July 14-16 is an opportunity for the national industry to take advantage of opportunities for the Philippine Vegetable sector.

Santos is the congress chairman with CEMVIDEC as the lead organizer of the three-day vegetable congress.

The event, with a theme “Accelerating the Development of the Philippine Vegetable Industry in Response to National and Global Challenges,” is expected to draw more than 400 delegates, including growers’ associations, input and logistics suppliers, wholesale buyers and agribusiness investors from across the country.

The congress is being organized by CEMVIDEC in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, the General Santos City government and Sarangani and the United States for International Development (USAID)-funded Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program.

Santos noted that the local vegetable industry is now feeling the greater impact of globalization as more foreign-produced agricultural crops enter the domestic market.

Santos pointed out that the local vegetable growers should take this as a challenge to further improve their competitiveness.

Santos said that a key strategy being adopted by the Mindanao vegetable industry is to strengthen the link between the production and marketing of vegetables from the island-region.

He said that institutional buyers, including concessionaires of Manila-based chain of supermarkets and major food processors will meet with vegetable producers at the congress to discuss volume and quality requirements as well as delivery and distribution.

“Through market-matching events such as this (vegetable congress), growers can directly link up with buyers and penetrate profitable markets,” Santos said.

In recent years, vegetable producer associations such as CEMVIDEC, the Northern Mindanao Vegetable Producer Association (NORMINVeggies) and the Vegetable Industry Council of Southern Mindanao (VICSMIN) have worked to introduce best farming practices, including production clustering, among their members.

The congress is expected to conclude with the presentation of recommendations to the national government on major issues affecting the industry.