North Cotabato black rice enters int'l market

KIDAPAWAN CITY (Sept. 2/NDBC) --Organic products from North Cotabato such as black rice and coco sugar are starting to penetrate the international market, the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) reported Monday. In a press statement, MinDA said that the North Cotabato provincial office is currently processing confirmed orders of black rice and coco sugar from the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, which are expected to be formalized in the next six months. Moreover, potential buyers and customers from USA, South Africa, Asia, and Singapore have also expressed interest in these Mindanao products,” the statement said.This recent development came after two local manufacturers, the Bios Dynamis of Don Bosco Foundation, producer of organic black rice from Makilala town, and the Tree Life Coco Sugar from Carmen town, were able to participate in the 25th Biofach Organic Fair held in Nuremberg, Germany last month.The annual Biofach Organic Fair, is considered as the world's largest trade fair for organic products. The reception of the international community to our locally grown products is very promising. It only shows that indeed, there is a bigger market for our farmers and small to medium scale businesses, as long as they pass specific international standards,” North Cotabato Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza, who attended the exhibit, said.Before the exhibit, Bios Dynamis had shipped organic black rice and other food products to Hong Kong, Macau, and China.Tree Life, on the other hand, had initially introduced their products to Netherlands and UK. (NDBC)