By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD CITY – The six-day 38th Negros Trade Fair, held at the Glorietta Event Center in Makati, surpassed last year’s sales, generating a total of PHP59.4 million, a 20% increase from the previous year.
Sales from the 37th Negros Trade Fair reached PHP40 million.
Arlene Infante, president of the Association of Negros Producers (ANP), the event’s organizer, told Daily Guardian on Tuesday that the food sector led the sales with PHP31 million.
Other sectors also contributed significantly:
- Gift sector: PHP16 million
- Organic sector: PHP1.4 million
- Fashion sector: PHP4.4 million
- Furniture sector: PHP4.4 million
- Tourism sector: PHP4.5 million
Infante expressed gratitude to all who made the 38th Negros Trade Fair the highest-grossing event in its history.
She emphasized that the ANP continues to advocate for the upliftment of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the Negros Island Region (NIR). ANP has had members from Negros Oriental for over two decades.
Earlier, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson shared his optimism that this year’s trade fair would exceed last year’s figures.
Lacson noted an increase in the number of exhibitors, with 115 participants this year, compared to 80 last year, representing various companies and local government units (LGUs). Exhibitors from Negros Oriental also doubled from four to eight, including the provincial government of Negros Oriental.
The governor highlighted that the 38th Negros Trade Fair showcased products from former New People’s Army rebels through the Balik Salig Program, a partnership between the provincial government of Negros Occidental, the Association of Negros Producers, and the Philippine Army.
Infante confirmed that this will be the last year the trade fair is held at Glorietta, where it has been hosted for the past decade.
“They will renovate the venue, but we are exploring other locations and conducting site inspections,” she said.
