BARMM to benefit from intensified trade in BIMP-EAGA
by Ali MacabalangCOTABATO CITY – The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will benefit mainly from intensified trade between the Philippines and its counterparts in Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia under the 25-year old Brunei Darussalam Indonesia Malaysia Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) corridor.
BARMM’s component island provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi (BASULTA) are being eyed as initial beneficiaries in the invigorated version of traditional marketing focused this time on Halal goods with the three Muslim nations, said Secretary Manny Piñol, chairman of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).
In his Facebook post-Friday, Piñol said MinDA will lead an agriculture and trade mission this coming January to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah in a move aimed at penetrating a growing Halal market of three million locals and four million tourists yearly.
The planned mission with showcase Halal supplies such goat meat, beef, manok kampung (chicken), eggs, young coconuts, and fruits that can be easily sourced from the BASULTA areas which are closer to Sabah, he said.
Saba also needs supplies of premium quality and organic rice for the growing number of tourists visiting the state every year, he said.
Piñol and Asian Development Bank (ADB) Executive Director Paul Dominguez had a meeting with Sabah State Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal on Nov. 22, during which the latter reportedly underscored the need to meet North Borneo state’s growing tourism industry requiring food supplies, especially Halal foods.
The MinDA chief said Sabah State Deputy Chief Minister Wilfred Madius Tangau, who heads the Ministry of Trade and Industry, supported the idea of engaging the three island provinces in reviving the barter trade.
“The barter trade (for centuries) has traditionally been a one-way affair with goods coming in from Sabah and shipped not only to the (BASULTA) islands but Zamboanga City as well,” said Piñol, who now promotes two-way true barter trade.
Initially, he said, the supplies for the Sabah market will be coming from the other Bangasamoro provinces and other parts of Mindanao.
“MinDa will start next year trainings in Sulu, Tawi-tawi, and Basilan on goat raising, cattle fattening, free-range chicken raising to produce what the Malaysians call ‘Kyam Kampung’ or ‘Manok Kampung,’ egg and coffee production,” said Pinol, who is President Duterte’s “Point Man” for BARMM.
In another Facebook post, Piñol also reported his discussion with Malaysian, Indonesian, and Brunei officials, saying he had made strong representation for BARMM’s direct access to the world’s three trillion-dollar Halal industry.
In the three neighboring Muslim nations alone lies a huge market for Halal goods that traders from BARMM and the rest of Mindanao can readily supply, said Pinol.
Traders in Muslim Mindanao, now known as Bangsamoro, have long been concerned about dismal representation or participation in the four-nation socio-economic undertaking.