SECTOR FOCUS

AGRILINK @ 18

At 18, Agrilink, the country’s premiere international agribusiness exhibition, remains unparalleled. Each year just keeps getting better with more exhibitors, product showcase, information on technologies and market linkages for practically the whole spectrum of the agribusiness chain. So much so that participants of the farm-to-fork chain and all else in between make it a point to gather every October to meet, do business, forge and strengthen ties and keep themselves abreast with the latest that Philippine agribusiness has to offer.

AGRILINK: THE YEAR THAT WAS

Last year, Agrilink zeroed in on “Good Agricultural Practices (GAPS): Key to Competitiveness” as its revolving theme. It likewise focused on small ruminants and partnered with the Goat and Sheep Raisers Association and the Federation of Goat and Sheep Producers Association of the Philippines, through its chairman, Mr. Danreb Oira, to hammer the point that GAPS are crucial to the development of the said sector, especially as it slowly builds a special niche in both the local and international markets.

Close to 289 companies exhibited occupying 345 indoor and retail booths or 8,100 square meters and 1002 sqm in the outdoor exhibit. While a big chunk were local companies, there were also 495 sqm foreign companies from 27 countries led by France, China, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, United States Canada, Italy Singapore, Vietnam and Japan.

There were also four (4) Indoor Pavilions: the French at the main exhibit and PHILFOODEX & OPTA Pavilions and AANI in the retail area.

The French Pavilion was organized by Le Club-FCC and participated in by 8 French companies in the field of swine breeding, poultry raising, wine making, food products, equipment, and agricultural services.

In the retail area, there were DA regional booths totaling 20, BFAR had 4 booths and the Dept. of Agrarian Reform had 2 booths.

The Indonesian Embassy had a booth, it’s 3rd time to participate in Agrilink.

The outdoor exhibitors occupied a total of 1002 square meters led by AANI plants sector, live pigs and goats.

There were cooking demonstrations held sponsored by members of the Organic Trade producers Association, Philfoodex, the Bureau of Animal Industry and Nogrocoma. Univet launched its latest product lines, AANI conducted a half-day forum on agri issues while FGASPAPI held a goat and sheep show.

The Total number of registered visitors was 21,629 over a 3-day period. However, an estimated 5%of first day visitors came back on the second and third days.

This Year's Theme:
“INTEGRATION: KEY TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE”

Integration, or complementation of the various components of agriculture—from the farm, to the factory to the market is the major driving force towards the creation of farming systems that are environmentally sound, profitable, productive, and compatible with socioeconomic conditions.

Sustainable agriculture happens if there is wholistic fusion of healthy farming practices, government policies, thorough knowledge of markets, postproduction technologies, efficient transport system, support services, etc. Gaps existing in these complex systems are therefore seen as deterrents to the development of the whole agribusiness chain. Integration, or the process of making whole, enhances complementation one of component with another in order for the whole agriculture systems to run efficiently.

This year’s Agrilink seeks to promote this wholistic integration concept and approach towards a more productive, efficient and self-sustaining Philippine agribusiness.