Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Philippines Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) sent a trade mission to Jakarta and Manado, North Sulawesi, on Sept 4-8, to sustain the Davao-General Santos-Bitung Roll-On, Roll-Off (RORO) operations and expand trade with Indonesia.

The DTI said it is lending support to the Davao Chamber of Commerce and the Indonesian Consulate in Davao in organizing the upcoming trade mission to Jakarta and Manado.

"Sustaining the RORO operations, launched in April this year by President Rodrigo Duterte and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, is high on the agenda of the DTI," Trade and Investments Promotion Undersecretary Nora K. Terrado was quoted as saying by the Philippine Embassy in Jakarta.

"We want to see the sustained operations of the shipping service, so that our local entrepreneurs, particularly our small and medium enterprises in Mindanao, can begin to reap gains from the enhanced connectivity between Mindanao and Sulawesi and the greater BIMP-EAGA region," Undersecretary Terrado remarked.

The Philippine business delegation comprising government representatives and local entrepreneurs in Davao will focus on building networks and partnerships with Indonesian companies in the areas of trading, joint venture agreements, joint production schemes, and other forms of strategic partnerships.

Among the companies that are part of the delegation are Eagle Multi Purpose Cooperative, Mindanao Agriplus Corporation, Certuso Structural Speacialists Corporation, Halal Business Council, Aleson Shipping Lines, Inc., and Fastcargo Logistics Corp.

Business-to-business (B2B) meetings and networking sessions as well as site visits to the Bitung Port and market and company visits are included in the missions itinerary.

DTI Regional Director Belenda Ambi noted that the department expects targeted, high-quality meetings during the B2B and networking sessions. Meanwhile, market visits aim to help the business delegation gain a better understanding of the Indonesian market in terms of product offerings, pricing, packaging, and competition.

"We enjoin full cooperation of all stakeholders of both countries to maximize the opportunities being offered by sustained operations on the route. This is a great opportunity that has been made available to local entrepreneurs to ensure they can participate more in international business," Ambi added.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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