March 18, 2024

 

Philippines businesses to embark on trade mission to Malaysia for agriculture collaboration

A consortium of private enterprises in the Philippines is poised to embark on a trade visit to Malaysia next month, aiming to foster agricultural partnerships that could bolster trade and investment relations across Southeast Asia, Manilla Bulletin reported.

 

Scheduled for April 23 - 24, 2024 the trade visit, as announced by the non-profit organisation Go Negosyo, seeks to facilitate discussions on sharing best practices and creating commercial value in agricultural commodities between the two nations.

 

Dairy, poultry, and corn are among the commodities slated for exploration during the visit, with a focus on potential collaborations to streamline international and domestic testing compliances.

 

The forthcoming trade mission discussions were initiated during a meeting convened by proponents of the Kapatid Angat Lahat sa Agri Programme (KALAP), spearheaded by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) Philippines Chairman and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion.

 

Representatives from leading agricultural firms in the Philippines, including Universal Leaf Philippines, Yovel East Agriventures, Lionheart Farms, Iba Botanicals, and UNAHCO - Philippine Association of Feed Millers, participated in the meeting.

 

The deliberations, facilitated by Go Negosyo senior advisers Dr William Dar and Josephine Romero, alongside ASEAN-BAC Executive Director Gil Gonzales, focused on aligning collaborative efforts with the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between ASEAN BAC Philippines and ASEAN BAC Malaysia last year.

 

The MOU aimed to promote trade, investment, and development partnerships in agriculture between the two countries, with upcoming meetings under the ABAC Malaysia B2B Connect Initiative (BCI), led by Malaysia’s former trade minister Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed, set to further these objectives.

 

The engagement will feature participation from industry leaders in both the public and private sectors to explore potential projects outlined in the MOU.

 

The anticipated discussions with Malaysia's private sector are expected to pave the way for similar initiatives between ABAC Philippines and other signatories of the MOU, including Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Myanmar, Brunei, Laos, and Thailand.

 

-      Manilla Bulletin