The MIMAROPA Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO), Oriental Mindoro Provincial Project Management and Implementation Unit (PPMIU) and the Naujan Farmers Association (NaFA) with the assistance of Aklan Provincial Government on May 24–26, 2016 organized the “Inter-Regional Market Reconnaissance and Linkage Exercise for Calamansi” in Malay, Aklan.

“The bottom line of this exercise is for us to be able to get an additional market outlet for our products. Sana po [ito] ay maging tuloy-tuloy at makatulong lalo na sa ating mga calamansi producers (We hope that this will continue and this will be of help especially to our calamansi producers),” said Nida San Juan, MIMAROPA I-REAP Component Head.

Malay is the municipality where Boracay, one of the country’s top tourist destinations, is located. During the three-day exercise 23 establishments from four different market places in the area were surveyed. The said establishments were at the most accessible locations to both locals and tourists.

“We just want to make sure that our farmers will be able to profit from their products. At the same time, these products must be consumed. Hindi iyong may market ngayon, bukas ay wala (The should be a market for this not only today but tomorrow as well). This is why we are doing this,” NaFA President Conrado Balmes shared.

NaFA is positive that Boracay will be a prosperous venture for them especially after its meeting with Chairman Carlito Baladjay of the Boracay Talipapa Business Owners Credit Cooperative. According to Balmes, their conversation had very much enlightened their group on the current status of the calamansi industry in the island.

Jaime Comia, NaFA Marketing Specialist, is confident that they have enough capacity to bring supply of good quality calamansi in said municipality. He stressed that a successful agreement will be made and the calamansi will be sold at a centralized price that will not take advantage of the local consumers.

NaFA is the proponent group of the P9,729,400.44-worth Calamansi Trading Center and Buying Station in Oriental Mindoro. The Province of Oriental Mindoro has been dubbed as the “King of Calamansi” because of its wide production areas for calamansi.

Since the exercise, NaFA coordinates with the Oriental Mindoro PPMIU to continue its talks and arrangements with the Boracay cooperative for a possible market agreement. ### (Leira Vic Colongon, DA-PRDP RPCO 4B InfoACE Unit)

NaFA President Conrado Balmes (left) interviews a store keeper in one of the selected market places in Boracay Island. (Photo by Elmo Morillo, DA-PRDP RPCO 4B InfoACE Unit)