The local government of Compostela, Compostela Valley has awarded SUMIFRU Philippines, a fruit exporter, for its “active and dynamic” partnership and contribution to the town.
Town mayor Lema Bolo gave the award to SUMIFRU President Paul Cuyegken during the town’s 71st Foundation Day on Thursday.
Bolo said SUMIFRU has been a great partner in the development of the town since the 70s.
“They can easily be approached in helping various projects,” Bolo said.
Thanking the town for the recognition, Cuyegken said the award further inspires them.
SUMIFRU is a Davao City-based company that exports banana, papaya and pineapple to Japan, China, Korea and other Middle East countries.
In Compostela Valley, the company has been engaged in Cavendish banana production since 1972 in Compostela town, classified as a first-class town with at least 203 million pesos annual earning.
“After almost five strong decades, the banana industry has been an active participant in the process of making Compostela what it is now,” the city legislators said in a resolution they passed on July 29.
The SUMIFRU, the resolution added, “never failed to provide economic boosters, in forms of employment, generation of income of workers, taxes and fees in favor of the government, indirect benefits to informal economies, monetary circulation that fueled business and sprout of investments, and social contribution in different development works not only of government but of the private sector as well.”
Based on the record from the municipality, SUMIFRU has maintained and sustained its direct contribution to Compostela by:
1. Employment (2,000 growers workers and 1,200 packing plant service providers’ workers in 11 packing plants)
2. Land productivity (2,200 hectares planted by 800 growers producing 3,500 boxes per hectare per year)
3. Monetary flow P120 million average money circulation in a month (90 million for growers proceeds and 30 million for salaries and wages)
4. Social responsibility (Medical outreach program, blood-letting, brigade eskwela, school supplies giving to the children of Sitio Puting Bao in Barangay Ngan and Sitio Side4 in Barangay Mangayon, Sumifru’s adopted local indigenous community, partnership with the province of Compostela Valley’s oplan pababago, tree planting and growing, livelihood programs, backyard vegetables and swine raising farming)
5. Catalysts of the services sector (cooperative manpower services, trucking services, hotel and restaurants, banks, hardware, convenience stores, grocers stores, eatery)
6. Top tax payer, local revenue
7. Infrastructure support (roads and brigades repairs, dredging of Agusan river others)
8. Positive effect of economic activities for Peace and Order.
The councilors agreed that aside from the direct contribution of SUMIFRU, “it is a public knowledge that the informal economic sector, including sellers of goods and services like local transportation providers, ambulant vendors and other product providers, benefited to and from the economic activities resulting from SUMIFRU operations.”
The councilors also cited the role of SUMIFRU right after the deadly Typhoon Pablo hit the town in December of 2012.
“SUMIFRU continued to be a dynamic partner in rebuilding the town and continued to be a dynamic partner in reviving the local economy through provisions of employment, local income generation of the local government unit, land productivity, and other economic endeavor,” the resolution said. “The partnership of the two institutions defined what it means to be resilient and bring back Compostela better that before,” the resolution said.
Councilor Wilfredo Ang, the legislator who authored the resolution, said they could not image the town without SUMIFRU.
He said the operation of SUMIFRU is making the local economy “vibrant and progressive.”
Gov. Jayvee Tyron Uy said the operation of SUMIFRU makes Compostela one of the most progressive towns in the province.
