HALAL PRODUCTS. Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol (right) meets with Sabah State Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal on November 22. Part of the discussion is the trade mission particularly on Halal products between the three provinces under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia in January 2020. (Photo from Mayette Tudlas of MinDA)
DAVAO CITY -- The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) is eyeing three provinces within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) for a trade mission particularly on Halal products to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia in January 2020.
The supplies--covering Halal goat, beef, Manok Kampung, eggs, young coconuts, and fruits, could be sourced from the three island provinces – Tawi-tawi, Sulu and Basilan which is nearest to Sabah--an area that the Philippines maintains a dormant claim.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the move aims to penetrate the growing Halal market of three million locals and four million tourists yearly in Sabah.
"Sabah also needs supplies of premium quality and organic rice for the growing number of tourists who troop to the State every year," he said.
He added that during his meeting with Sabah State Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal on November 22, the official noted that the growing tourism industry of the North Borneo state has put pressure on food supplies, especially Halal food.
"During the meeting which is also attended by Asian Development Bank (ADB) executive director Paul Dominguez, Chief Minister Apdal said that the State intends to source the supplies from the islands to strengthen the barter trade between Sabah and Mindanao," he added.
Piñol also said Deputy Chief Minister Wilfred Madius Tangau, who heads the Ministry of Trade and Industry, supported the idea of engaging the three island provinces in reviving the barter trade.
The barter trade has traditionally been a one-way affair with goods coming in from Sabah and shipped not only to the islands but Zamboanga City as well, he added.
"Initially, the supplies for the Sabah market will be coming from the other Bangasamoro Provinces and the rest of Mindanao," Pinol said.
MinDa will start the training next year in Sulu, Tawi-tawi, and Basilan on goat raising, cattle fattening, free-range chicken raising to produce what the Malaysians call "Ayam Kampung" or "Manok Kampung," egg production and coffee production for farmers of the three island provinces.
The MinDA agriculture and trade mission will also explore the market of the State of Sarawak and its capital, Kuching. (PNA)
