Marcos eyes future agriculture ties with Chile
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is eyeing future collaborations with Chile on agriculture, according to the Presidential Communication Office (PCO) on Saturday.
In a statement, Marcos said that cacao is becoming an important crop in the Philippines, and the government is eyeing its cultivation and processing.
“Because it’s becoming a very important crop — slowly becoming an important crop — we are trying to promote it. And you have, I think, the best technologies when it comes to that product,” Marcos said in the courtesy call of Chilean Prime Minister Alberto van Klaveren in Malacañang on Friday.
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Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque also said that the government is eyeing fish and minerals exports from Mindanao and mentioned the deep sea port opened in Peru for Asian products being shipped to South America.
“[There are] skin beauty products and other things that we can [explore]… And also the agriculture sector and the seafood products that we can export to them,” Roque noted.
Article continues after this advertisementThe leaders of the two countries also discussed in a separate press conference on Friday the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which includes intellectual property rights, digital economy, MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), environment, labor, and trade and gender.
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According to the PCO, Chile ranked 49th as the Philippines’ trading partner, 47th as the export market, and 50th as the import supplier.
Furthermore, Marcos told van Klaveren that “the time that you spend here will be as productive as possible and would further the relations between our two countries.”
Marcos also thanked Chile for backing the Philippines’ bid to the United Nations Security Council for 2027-2028, as the country is also supporting Chile’s stint in the council for 2029-2030.
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