THE Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCCI) shared a positive growth outlook of their region and survived inflation only through strengthening agricultural productivity.
During the roundtable interview with The Manila Times Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dante Francis "Klink" Ang 2nd on Wednesday, DCCCI President John Tria said that their region performed better despite high inflation due to rich agricultural productivity that sustained them.
"Mindanao economy, as a whole, performed better than the national economy, both during the pandemic and immediately after," said Tria.
"During the pandemic, the... contraction... is only 7.5 percent compared to the country at 9.5 [percent] in 2020. Then in the year after, we grew at 6.1 percent, which is higher than the nation's 5.7 [percent]," he added.
Regarding energy, the country is considered to be a consumer-based nation. Therefore, what really needs to be considered is that energy is not cheap, and needs further expansion and investment, which will harbor competition for a cheaper cost.
"I think the long term is really to electrify our... or commit or source it from renewable resources, electrify our homes and our mobility," Tria stressed.
Investment
Tria said that in Mindanao, there is an increase of investments in which he said, "Maybe many countries like India see Mindanao as a good market."
According to him, it is probably because Mindanao is the source of many raw materials such as food, which amounts to a total of 40 percent of the country's source. In addition, it is also rich in mineral resources.
Furthermore, Tria underscored the region's advantages for future possible investments based on geographic advantage.
"In terms of Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), we are actually a port city that is very close... compared to other countries... we are very close to Shanghai, Yokohama, and of course, the continental United States," he explained.
