Agri seals P12.3B worth of farm deals with UAE firms

MANILA, Philippines- The Department of Agriculture on Monday announced that it has sealed P12.3-billion worth of sales and supply contracts for Philippine agricultural and processed food products with firms based in the United Arab Emirates during a recently concluded trade mission. In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the agency was able to secure P12.3 billion in orders from Fresh Fruits Co., Del Monte Foods Middle East, Samico and Abbar Zainy Trading. Fresh Fruits placed an order of 26 million cases for fresh bananas with a value of $117 million and 500,000 cases of fresh pineapples with a value of $3 million. Del Monte Foods Middle East placed an order for 15 million cases of fresh Cavendish bananas worth $76.5 million, while its order for fresh pineapples was two million cases worth $12 million. Abbar Zainy Corp. ordered five million cases of fresh bananas valued at $54 million and 500,000 cases of fresh pineapples worth $3 million. Samico, ordered five million cases of fresh bananas worth $22.5 million, while Unifrutti and Saad Tabra Trading placed respective orders for 1.15 million and 1.5 million cases of bananas with a combined value of $11.92 million. Yap said that during the trade mission which stretched from Feb. 27 to 29, Fresh Fruits Co. and the Agriculture Department also signed a P2-billion investment contract which will allow the UAE firm to develop at least 3,000 hectares of lands in Mindanao for growing Cavendish banana and sweet pineapple plantations. The Philippines’ major exports to the UAE include garments, fresh bananas, processed food, semiconductors, other industrial manufactures, cement/cement products, transport equipment, and cosmetics & personal care products. - GMANews.TV