Japan’s Aeon to sell TADECO bananas under agri best-practices label

DAVAO CITY — Japanese retail group Aeon Co. Ltd. is including Philippine bananas sourced from Tagum Agricultural Development Company, Inc. (TADECO) for a special product line recognizing companies with Global Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) Certification.
TADECO President and Chief Executive Officer Alexander N. Valoria said the company obtained its GAP certification in November 2013, and has since been able to retain the certification.
“The benefit to TADECO will be over time as more of the market and consumers become aware of the Global GAP Certification and its advantages. Over time, we will see the marker and consumers will be demanding it,” Mr. Valoria told BusinessWorld.
He noted that TADECO, the flagship firm of the Floirendo-owned Anflo Management and Investment Corp, is the only company-wide Global GAP-certified banana company in the Philippines.
Mr. Valoria said the certification allows them to charge a premium for its products.
By next month, he added, a Web site will be launched listing products with Global GAP Number (GGN) labels to allow consumers to check where the product was made and by whom.
A Global GAP seal indicates that a company has complied with worldwide standards on food safety and sustainability, environmental protection, and worker occupational safety and health.
Aeon has a network of shopping malls, supermarkets, convenience stores, and specialty shops across Japan, China and Southeast Asia.
TADECO, the country’s biggest Cavendish banana producer and exporter, has a projected production volume this year of 32.6 million 13-kilogram boxes, which is about 10% lower than in 2017 due to unfavorable weather.
“It is still a very high production yield,” Mr. Valoria said. — Maya M. Padillo