THE MINDANAO Trade Expo 2023 (MTE) will showcase even more products and new designs, an organizer said.
During the Habi at Kape forum last Aug. 9, Marian Mahinay-Comilang, MTE Foundation executive director, said that product development is one way to empower micro, small, and medium enterprises.
“We visited the provinces of Davao Region to conduct product development because this is our way to empower MSMEs. To be competitive is to develop. Never stop developing new product designs,” Mahinay-Comilang said.
She also said they will be showcasing partial prototypes from their product development initiative during the trade expo. Products for the IP sector, such as baskets, will be displayed as well.
Mahinay-Comilang said they have been visiting and assisting different IP communities such as the Matigsalug tribe who created the Christmas tree for the Ayala Malls last year.
They also invited associations of exporters, subcontractors, and retailers from Manila to reach their P12 million sales target.
“We have about 15,000 in our directory and there are some who confirmed their participation to come. They want to source raw materials from Mindanao, especially for crafts that were beginning to develop [in] the market in the post-pandemic situation, so they’re looking at new materials to use for their products,” she said.
The Mindanao Trade Expo will be on Aug. 13-19 at the Abreeza Activity Center. As of writing, 160 MSMEs from all over Mindanao will occupy the whole area.
The main objective of the event is to gather the Mindanao entrepreneurs, such as those from Region 9 and Bangsamoro. “We’re also ready to showcase each region’s products from processed food to handcrafts,” Mahinay-Comilang said.
