By Manny Piñol
The Philippines’ iconic cooking oil brand, Minola, will be on top a long list of coconut products to be displayed in Moscow and Minsk in a week-long campaign of the Department of Agriculture starting March 18 to introduce the Coconut to the Eastern European market.
Coconut products will be the second commodity to penetrate the vast Eastern European market which includes the Russian Federation and the former Soviet Union countries following the visit of President Rody Duterte to Moscow in May 2017.
Earlier, Russia has allowed three Philippine companies to sell fisheries products, especially Tuna, while three more firms are expected to be given the green light soon.
Minola is produced by San Pablo Oil Mill in Batangas which is one of the four operating coconut oil mills owned by the government through the Coconut Industry Investment Fund – Oil Management Group (CIIF-OMG).
Monaco-based Russian businessman Igor Malyshkov, who is in the Philippines now for a week-long visit, said the Coconut products will be displayed in two outlets of a supermarket chain which has about 15,000 branches all over Eastern Europe.
“We cannot sell yet because we will have to comply with all the needed sanitary and quarantine requirements and that will take about 3 to 4 months,” Malyshkov informed the Agriculture Secretary in a meeting last night.
He, however, said that the display of the Coconut products in two supermarket outlets in Minsk and Moscow will introduce the “interesting new product” to a market which is becoming more health conscious.
Coconut is a totally new commodity for Eastern Europe, according to Malyshkov although he added that the health benefits of the coconut oil and other coconut products have long been known to consumers.
The DA has coordinated with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Trade and industry (DTI) for the Eastern Europe Coco Roadshow.
Products to be displayed include Minola cooking oil, coco margarine, Virgin Coconut Oil, coco chips, coco syrup, coco sugar and high-value agricultural items.
The DA will start shipping this week the items which will be put on display in a supermarket in Moscow and another in Minsk.
Pamphlets and reading materials on Coconut and its health benefits will be translated to Russian and distributed during the week-long display.
Malyshkov said during the event he expects the owners of the large supermarket chain to sign a marketing agreement with Philippine coconut commodity producers.
“This is the first small step to something which could become a very big development in Philippine agriculture,” the Russian business tycoon said.
The Agriculture Secretary will lead a delegation which includes private sector representatives in a trip to Russia and Belarus next week.
Other areas of interests which are expected to be discussed during the visit are the establishment of a banana and pineapple plantations in the Bangsamoro Area for the Eastern European market and a Fertilizer and Farm Inputs supply agreement between a Russian company and the Planters’ Products Inc.
(First two photos downloaded from the Minola website shows coconut products produced by CIIF-OMG. The third photo shows high value coconut products from a small company owned by outstanding farmer Ben Lao while the last photo shows a beaming Malyshkov in a photo with the DA Secretary and CIIF-OMG officers.)
More Stories
Breeding Season Starts!
Practical Tips On Cattle Feeding!
Bamboo Goat House Model Now Ready For Occupancy!