Zamboanga del Norte sets Agri-Tourism Investments Forum

ZAMBOANGA CITY, May 14 (PNA) – The province of Zamboanga del Norte is set to promote its vast mineral deposits, sprawling agricultural lands, and numerous tourism sites as among the potential areas for investments during the two-day Agri-Tourism Investments Forum.

The forum, dubbed as Nego-Tour ’14, is set to be held from May 29 to 30 in Dipolog City, the capital of Zamboanga del Norte.

DTI-Zamboanga del Norte Provincial Director Noel Bazan said in a statement Wednesday that his office is one of the agencies tapped by the provincial government to facilitate the forum which will be held in time for the 62nd founding anniversary celebration of Zamboanga del Norte.

“The province virtually sits atop deposits of precious and semi-precious minerals, barely tapped – among them chromite, silver, and gold. Vast logged over areas beg for plantation or agricultural development. The province too is blessed with many historical sites and scenic spots, many still in pristine, unspoiled condition suitable for eco-tourism development. Add to these the mild weather, rich culture and warm hospitality of the people, and you have the perfect place for those who may want to invest and unwind, or to stay for good while doing business on the side,” Bazan said.

He said that the provincial government has invited DTI Regional Officer-in-Charge Sitti Amina Jain to talk on investment opportunities in modern rubber production during the forum.

He said that the province of Zamboanga del Norte, like the rest of the region, is highly suitable for rubber production “and we still have plenty of idle lands for plantation development in the province.”

“We want our investors though to adopt modern methods of farming because productivity and the resulting return on investments (ROI) is way, way below using the traditional way as compared with our ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) neighbors--Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Much more compared with India, which reportedly gets the highest yield per hectare among the major rubber producing countries in the world,” Bazan said.

“In behalf of the provincial government of Zamboanga del Norte, we invite everyone, most especially those who have the money but don’t know where to invest, to come and participate in the Nego-Tour ‘14. You will surely enjoy the sights and sounds of Zambo Norte even as you will get to be acquainted with the many opportunities for business in the province,” Bazan added. (PNA)
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