Organic Coco sugar, organic black rice shine in Germany World food exhibit

KIDAPAWAN CITY – Two organic products from North Cotabato are making waves in World Organic Trade Expo in Germany, officials said today. This is the second time in two years that these two highly acclaimed organic products from the province were on display in the BIOFACH Organic Trade Fair Exhibition Center of Nuremberg, Germany along with other organic food products from all over the world. The Tree of Life Coco Sugar of Carmen town and Bios-Dynamis Black and other rice varieties from Makilala and Mlang, all in North Cotabato are currently exhibited in the fair. It is a gathering of ‘organic’ people around the globe where they showcase natural products, household supplies as well as organic agriculture/marketing and media services. BIOFACH also offers manufacturers and buyers a perfect international platform for positioning themselves in the market and discussing the issues of the future. The two products from North Cotabato have gained prominence especially its viability in the international market and created a strong brand presence that placed the province in the ‘organic’ world map as it competes with the world’s major organic players like the US, Europe, Middle East and other Asian Countries. The highly admired Tree Life Coco Sugar and Bios Dynamis black rice and other rice varieties made North Cotabato as one of the ‘what not to miss’ booths of the fair, the North Cotabato provincial government press statement said. Gov. Emmylou Mendoza and a team from the province personally went to the trade fair and helped in overseeing the exhibit as well as marketing of the products in Nuremburg. Organic farming and organic food production continue to gain support from the people of Cotabato and on our level as provincial officials, we are extending wide support to this endeavor,” said Mendoza in a statement. We are aware of the high potentials of organic foods in the global market that’s why we encourage everyone to patronize them especially that it came from our very own province,” she added. Also in the North Cotabato booth were provincial board members Shirlyn Macasarte and Airene Claire Pagal and Romano Laurilla, Manager of Don Bosco Multi-Purpose Cooperative (DBMPC) of Mlang. They assist in endorsing and promoting the products to the international buyers as well as make observations and recommendations to further advance the products in the global market, thus making it even more competitive. Both Macasarte and Pagal observed that not only foreigners are interested in buying Tree Life Coco Sugar and Bios-Dynamis black rice but also Filipinos. They were able to meet some Pinoy celebrities like Danny Javier of the Apo Hiking Society some and government officials at the trade fair who said they were very happy to see reputable organic products from North Cotabato make its way to the prestigious trade fair. The ultimate winners of this initiative however, are the farmers, laborers and work forces behind the production of these organic products, Mendoza said. Jimmy Sta. Cruz of North Cotabato Media Office said while the other participants of the fair consider the orders they get from buyers as additional dividends, Gov. Mendoza sees the bulk orders as additional revenues for farmers and job creation for the entire province. Sta Cruz said it is too early yet to determine the amount and orders earned in the exhibit for the two organic products.