DAVAO CITY: Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss said Israeli companies are eyeing more opportunities to engage with Filipino counterparts in the field of agriculture and food security.
Fluss, during his visit here for the 24th Davao Agri Trade Expo (DATE) at the SMX Convention Center in Lanang on September 29 to 30, said that Israel seeks to collaborate with both the Filipino private sector and the Philippine government in looking for opportunities, particularly in the agriculture sector.
Fluss said in an interview with the local media here that he and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. discussed about agriculture.
“He told me he visited Israel before and he had seen what Israel has done with agriculture and farming in the desert and he saw the best practices and the technologies we are implementing. The President asked me to do what I can to bring Israeli technology, Israeli practices, Israeli management to be implemented in the Philippines and to contribute to the productivity of the agriculture sector and food security in the country,” Fluss said. Fluss said his visit in the city along with several companies from Israel is a response to the President’s request.
“My efforts as the Israeli ambassador to the Philippines, top priority is really agriculture, what we are doing today is we are part of the exhibition here Israeli companies representing technologies and practices and looking for opportunities to engage with Philippine counterparts both private sector and the government,” Fluss added.
Fluss said he is currently in discussions with the Philippine government and the private sector to see if they can develop industries such as biogas, dairy farming, hydroponics and drip irrigation in the country.
He said Israeli’s experience in developing its agricultural industry despite it being a country of mostly dry land with not enough rains and not enough land as it is a small country will be of great help to agricultural companies and farms. “Our approach to agriculture is doing more with less. We have less resources but we have to maximize our outputs, which is the secret for commercial farming or smart farming,” he said.
“I believe that if we share our practices and technologies that have to be adapted to the local culture, the local climate, it can contribute a lot to the productivity of the agricultural sector here in the Philippines.”
Five Israeli companies led by their country’s economic office were among the more than 70 participating exhibitors from the different Industries in the agriculture business, livestock, dairy, poultry, hogs and high-value crops.
DATE is one of the biggest and longest-running agri-business expo in the Southern Philippines, organized by the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
During the event, the newest innovations and solutions from trade exhibitors in agribusiness were featured. Free seminars to expand knowledge in agri-technology, coffee cupping, import and export processes, and many more were also offered during the event. Davao City Investment and Promotion Center head April Marie Dayap, meanwhile, said 7,000 to 8,000 individuals were able to visit the event.
Dayap believed that the DATE is an effective venue for the promotion of the agricultural industry of Davao and Mindanao. It will be helpful in forging relationships in the domestic and international market for agriculture as it introduces agriculture to the international community.
She also noted that this will pave the way for discussions on finding mitigating solutions to the current agricultural problems caused by disasters, which will help decrease losses among businesses and agri-players annually.