BOI readies agribusiness roadmaps

The Board of Investments (BOI) will unveil development roadmaps on five sectors in agribusiness — confectionery, condiments, seaweeds/carrageenan, shrimps/prawns, and processed fruits — which have the highest revenue streams potential and widest industry linkages in agri-processing. BOI Executive Director Corazon Halili-Dichosa told reporters that agro-processing would be the next sectoral roadmaps to be tackled at the 12th Trade and Industry Development Update on the topic "Enhancing Philippine Competitiveness: Agribusiness Value Upgrading and Linkages with Manufacturing” this Thursday, Nov. 6. "These sectors are good sources of revenue streams for us,” Halili-Dichosa said. Condiments, she said, is one of the largest sub-sector in the food industry because of the abundance of locally grown spices and plants. Dr. Rolando T. Dy, executive director of the Center for Food and Agribusiness of the University of Asia and the Pacific, is still conducting an appraisal and developing the roadmaps for these agribusiness sub-sectors. The sectoral roadmaps on these five are expected to be completed by next year. Initially, Dy will concentrate on chocolates for confectionery and mangoes for processed fruit. At the TID Update, Agriculture Undersecretary Segfredo Serrano will present the Agri Sector Roadmap’s initial findings while Philippine Institute for Development Studies research fellow Roehlano M. Briones will speak on the topic "Agriculture Supply Chain: Gaps, Constraints, and Policy Response”. The Trade and Industry Development Updates is a platform to inform and update the public and stakeholders on the Industry Development Roadmaps initiative of the Department of Trade and Industry.//