A durian grower in Davao City is planning to expand his global reach to Japan within the year after making it to the Singapore and Hong Kong markets.
Speaking in Monday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw, Larry Miculob, president of the city’s Durian Council, said he will send within the week 50 samples of seedless and vacuum-packed fresh durian to Japan. He added the potential Japanese market would like to make durian as a base ingredient for smoothies.
If push comes to shove, he said, he will tap other growers to supply the Japanese market. He said the growers in the city have previously started to export 30 tons of whole durian to Singapore since two years ago and 18 tons last year to Hong Kong.
He lauded the passage of Republic Act 10667, or the Philippine Competition Act, and RA 10668, or the Foreign Co-Loading Act, which amended the 50-year old Cabotage Law. RA 10668 allows “foreign vessels to transport and co-load foreign cargoes for domestic transshipment.”
After President Benigno S. Aquino III signed the measures, Miculob said exporters are expecting a competitive freight cost, as the laws open the floodgates for foreign vessels to as well service local players.
The industry is faced with some challenges. Among them is the lack of processing facility such as cold storage, the food safety requirement, and good manufacturing practices from the Department of Agriculture and Department of Trade and Industry to meet export standards.
The industry is also expecting a 25-percent drop in harvest this year due to El Niño phenomenon or the dry spell that is projected to persist until August 2016.
