Top agri expo expands to include aquaculture

Aqualink is joining Agrilink and Foodlink to form the country’s biggest integrated international trade show on agribusiness, food and aquaculture.

This was announced by the Foundation for Resource Linkage and Development (FRLD), a non-government organization serving those three major industries.

FRLD president Antonio V. Roces said Aqualink would bring into Agrilink and Foodlink all the sectors of the aquaculture industry to highlight its new technologies, products, services, and business potentials in both local and global markets.

"Offering vast business opportunities in aquaculture and ornamental fish production and exports, Aqualink will gather all of the industry’s players and suppliers to provide networking facilities for entrepreneurs and generate sales, marketing tie-up, and joint ventures in research and development and other transactions," Roces said.

"Being the premier aquaculture trade show, Aqualink will certainly expand the coverage of Agrilink and Foodlink, which are already the country’s biggest and most prestigious annual international event on agribusiness and food," Roces added.

Aqualink will showcase the country’s advances in mariculture and aquaculture development comprising ornamental and food fishes and other aquatic resources, and all allied sectors that make up the industry’s supply chain.

These include suppliers of aquatic feeds, breeding and spawning technologies, fish farm equipment and supplies, and industrial users of marine products, among others.

Citing the archipelago’s potential and natural capacity for export of ornamental and food fishes, Roces said the export market had always been there just waiting to be tapped.

Thus far, the Philippines has gained advances in mariculture development, production of ornamental fishes, spawning of the expensive maliputo, propagation of prawns in marine pens, and other scientific breakthroughs, all capable of making such aquatic products sufficiently available for export and domestic consumption.

These and many other new technologies, products and services will be showcased at Aqualink, which will be staged simultaneously with Agrilink and Foodlink at the World Trade Center on October 5 to 7.

Agrilink is now on its 13th year, Foodlink on its seventh, and Aqualink on its second.

"These diverse yet interdependent exhibitions, the first of its kind in the Philippines, have been a venue for showcasing the latest and innovative technologies of their respective industries. Together, Agrilink, Foodlink and Aqualink bring the best of international trade exhibits as the organizers focus on genetics, which impacts across all sectors of the agribusiness industry," Roces said.

Inquiries and/or reservations can be made with FRLD (tel. 838-4549, 838-4852; fax 838-4573, or e-mail [email protected]).

Organized by FRLD, all three events are supported by the Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural and Fishery Council, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and 20 major trade associations in the country.