THE MINDANAO Development Authority (MinDA) is meeting with stakeholders this week to plan for a regular and sustainable shipment of fruits that grow only or at best quality in Mindanao to other parts of the country. MinDA Chair Emmanuel F. Piñol made this announcement in a social media post Sunday following the good market response at the 1st MinDA Fruit Festival in Baguio City on Aug. 25. “The MinDA will negotiate with the airline companies for a cargo allocation in their Davao-Manila, Davao-Clark or even Davao-Cebu or Davao-Iloilo routes for the shipment of products from Mindanao,” he said, adding that they will also request “for a special cargo price” as part of the airlines’ support for the development of Mindanao. The fruits eyed for air transport are the more perishable ones like rambutan, lanzones, marang, mangosteen, pineapple and papaya. Less perishable ones like pomelo, durian, and bananas could be transported via trucks, which takes about three days. Mr. Piñol said MinDA will also be meeting with leaders of fruit farmers associations to discuss the availability of supplies. At the same time, MinDA will be validating fruit production volume before pursuing “trading arrangements with other local government units in Luzon and the Visayas,” Mr. Piñol said. The fruit festival in Baguio city was undertaken in coordination with the city government led by Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong. In another post, Mr. Piñol said another round of the fruit fair will be hold on Sept. 1 as many Baguio consumers, who patiently lined up, were disappointed as supply ran out. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

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