The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) is working with domestic airlines to allocate cargo space and reduce freight rates for goods originating from Mindanao. This is in line with the agency’s plan to promote regular and sustainable shipments of products from the region to other parts of the country.
MinDA executive director Emmanuel Piñol recently met with representatives from Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and AirAsia Philippines to negotiate for the allocation of cargo space on the airlines’ Davao-Manila, Davao-Clark, and Davao-Cebu or Davao-Iloilo routes for products shipped from Mindanao. The authority is eyeing the scheduling of the shipments every Fridays and Saturdays.
MinDA has also asked for a special cargo price as part of the airlines’ support for the development of Mindanao.
The meeting comes after MinDA held its first fruit festival in Baguio last August 24-25 where an estimated P1.1 million were generated from the sale of fruits from Mindanao.
According to MinDA, a total of 22 tons of assorted fruits were airlifted by the Philippine Air Force from Davao to Clark, from where the goods travelled by land to Baguio for the festival. These fruits were durian, rambutan, mangosteen, lanzones, and pomelo from Davao and the SOCCSKSARGEN provinces.
MinDA plans to make the festival a weekly event where fruits will be sold at prices that are P20 to P30 lower than average market prices. Another fruit festival in Baguio is already slated for September 1. Piñol said MinDA also targets selling Mindanao produce in other provinces like Cebu, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, and Iloilo, as well as in Metro Manila and other major cities.
The authority has held a meeting with different fruit farmers’ associations to discuss the availability of supplies, and is validating the volume of fruit production from Mindanao as it intends to forge trading arrangements with other local government units in Luzon and the Visayas.
