MANILA, 3 September 2007 — Overseas Filipino Workers looking for investment opportunities back in the Philippines may find just what they were looking for in their backyards or farmlots.
Seed industry bigwigs in Asia are coming to Manila for the international seed business conference in the Philippines in November 6-10 at the Shangrila Plaza.
Department of Agriculture Secretary Arturo Yap said that a lot of “trailblazing products” and investment opportunities are in the offing in this international conference.
The department has initiated the planting of good quality seeds that bore quality vegetables in small plots in Quezon City and Manila as a model.
Philippine Seed Industry Association (PSIA) President Willy Co said in a press conference that the latest technology in seeds as well as vegetable products from good, quality seeds will be showcased in the Asian Seed Congress 2007. It has already attracted 200 confirmed participants from 25 countries with delegates from China, India, Japan and the United States.
The conference invites plant breeders and seed companies to exchange information on new products to increase commercial business opportunities in food production. It is also a good venue for local plant companies to exhibit their seeds for interested foreign buyers, Co said.
The Philippines has 20 homegrown seed companies that propel the 10 billion-peso seed industry at present. The global seed industry is worth $34 billion, according to Co.
Zheng Mengyu, Asia-Pacific Seed Association (APSA) President, said that the conference will involve 5,000 companies in seed production worldwide. APSA takes the lead in corn and rice hybrid programs that take on genetically modified organisms.
PSIA, the Philippine National Organizing Committee, is already on its final stage of preparations as the Philippines hosts the Asian Seed Congress for the second time. The first was in 1998.
This year’s congress will focus on the following: comparative study of phytosanitary rules and regulations in Asia-Pacific, seed quality testing standards in the region, and a country report about the Philippine seed industry. An online registration is available.
