Mindanao exporters support creation of growth corridors

MANILA, Philippines - Mindanao exporters support the development of export gateways and growth corridors to penetrate more overseas markets.

These five corridors are the Mindanao Food, Agribusiness and Logistics Corridor; the Mindanao Food Basket Corridor; the Mindanao Biodiversity and Ecotourism Corridor; the Mindanao Industrial Trade Corridor; and Mindanao Mariculture and Trade Corridor.

These corridors could be clustered into three larger economic clusters according to their strategic role in the overall development of Mindanao.

Within each corridor, an integrated development program would be implemented to jump-start and accelerate development.

“...The development of Mindanao export gateways and growth corridors hopes to accelerate economic development and inclusive growth in Mindanao, while being mindful of the ecological impact of development,” according to the resolutions passed during the Mindanao Export Congress in Davao.

To implement such program, the island’s local supply chain management would be strengthened and connected to potential international export gateways and growth corridors.

This is through convergence of inter-province and inter-city road networks and ports improvements, specifically logistics support including roll-on roll-off (RoRo) facilities.

In the same Congress, Secretary Luwalhati Antonino of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) cited the current widening of the Tagum-Davao-General Santos road link which would convert the road networks into high standard highways in support of the Davao and General Santos export gateways.

Antonino said the same road network system improvement would be done in northern Mindanao, Caraga and western Mindanao export gateways.

She cited as examples Mindanao’s top exports such as coconut oil and bananas which are still sourced from rural areas and are processed and marketed in urban centers. 

“Improving these roads in Mindanao would facilitate lower cost production and marketing, reduce internal transport costs and therefore would increase transaction efficiencies in the marketing chains,” she stressed.

Antonino said the opening of the Laguindingan airport in June this year is “a crucial step towards the attainment of the Mindanao Industrial Trade Corridor.”

This particular growth corridor is designed to intensify economic activities in Surigao Norte, Butuan, Pagadian, Dipolog, Iligan, Cagayan de Oro and other Northern Mindanao provinces, she added.

Moreover, Antonino said MinDA supports the set-up of integrated agribusiness infrastructure and other value-adding support facilities in strategic locations nearer the export gateways.

In 2012, Mindanao generated more than $4 billion worth of agricultural exports accounting for 60 percent of the country’s total agricultural export revenues.