BACOLOD City – The provincial government hopes to attract investors in the first “Invest in Negros Business Forum,” which was held at the Dusit Thani Hotel Manila in Makati City on Sept. 26.
The forum will be a side event of the 33rd Negros Trade Fair set from Sept. 25 to 30 at the Glorietta Activity Center also in Makati City.
Joy Ogan, executive assistant to governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., said this year, the Negros Trade Fair will serve as a gateway for bigger investments in the province, particularly on processing and marketing facilities for livestock, aquaculture and fishery, organic products, cold chain services, transportation and infrastructure.
“We are capitalizing on the attractiveness of the annual event,” she said.
The business forum is spearheaded by the province of Negros Occidental, in collaboration with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines Inc., Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Association of Negros Producers, the organizer of the annual Negros Trade Fair.
The central theme will focus on the province’s tourism industry cluster and its food and service supply chain covering agriculture, fisheries, livestock, utilities, and infrastructure.
At least 100 participants, including senior executives, business association representatives, and business leaders, are expected to attend.
Marañon Jr. will speak during the event and will join the panel to answer queries from the participants.
Other panelists include representatives of Ayala Corp., who will discuss the company’s business engagements in Negros Occidental and the reasons for investing in the province.
Representatives of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry will tackle the province’s farm tourism potentials and opportunities and challenges for trade and investment in growth areas like Negros.
Also to be featured are the “Hino Motors Dealership and the Growing Logistics Demand in the Province” by Hino Motors Philippines; “Where Money Lies Beyond Sugar: Making Diversification Work in Negros” by the Center for Food and Agribusiness of the University of Asia and the Pacific; and the Negros Occidental Local Investment and Incentives Code by former governor Rafael Coscolluela, who is now the provincial consultant on investment promotions, export, and trade development. (PNA)
