DAVAO CITY – Fruits, marine products, and other goods from Mindanao will be showcased during the week-long "MinDA Tienda sa Manila" scheduled in September, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said Wednesday.
Piñol said the "MinDA Tienda sa Manila" which will be held at the Mehan Garden beside the Manila City Hall has already been approved by Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, tentatively scheduled from September 20 to 26.
"This followed after the announcement of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday (August 11) that the Covid-19 vaccine is now available and that the Philippines will be one of the first beneficiaries," he said.
Piñol said the planning for the market showcase began early this year and that the chosen date was in anticipation of the harvest season of fruits and marine products in the island between September and October.
Among the products which will be showcased during the week-long activity are fruits coming from the Davao and Central Mindanao regions and the marine products from as far as Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces.
Other high-value products to be displayed are the black and red organic rice, the popular Zamboanga Spanish sardines, vegetables from Bukidnon's IMTASULA (Impasug-ong, Talakag, Sumilao, Lantapan) vegetable complex, and locally woven fabric made out of indigenous fibers.
The event, Piñol said, will be patterned after the highly successful "MinDA Fruit Festival" staged in Baguio City last year, which will link Mindanao suppliers to direct buyers in Metro Manila.
"It is one of the programs complementing the Complete Value Chain Policy of MinDA to empower its agricultural and fisheries producers," Pinol said. (PNA)
