(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Raynald C Rivera / The Peninsula
The Philippines is inviting foreign investors including Qatari companies to invest in nearly six million hectares of lands available as agro-industrial zones and halal hubs and production zones, said Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Director General Charito Plaza.
Plaza was speaking to local media on the sidelines of the Qatar-Philippines Food Security Summit (QPFSS) held yesterday at City Center Rotana Doha Hotel.
'The purpose of this summit is to gather Qatari investors to take a look at our agro-industrial economic zones and our Halal hubs and production zones. We want to help Qatar in food security and offer the almost six million hectares of agricultural lands to the Qatari government and investors to utilize as agro-industrial economic zones and halal hubs and production zones, she said.
PEZA has been very aggressive in marketing Philippine Economic Zones (PEZs) offering the best incentives to foreign investors such as 100 percent ownership, six to eight years income tax holiday, lease of lands of up to 75 years, special visa for the foreign investors their family members and foreign national workers and tax-free importation of materials and equipment, Plaza stressed.
'If Qatari investors will develop our agro-industrial economic zones, all the products can be brought to Qatar, she said.
'The Philippines has been known as the source of world class workers, but it also has very beautiful and productive and fertile soil that can be source of food security for countries like Qatar, she stressed.
This was the third time Plaza visited Doha. The last time was during the state visit of President Rodrigo Duterte, during which $206m worth of deals were signed between Qatari businessmen and PEZA.
Plaza expressed high hopes that more Qatari companies will invest in the agro-industrial economic zones and Halal hubs and production zones as well as other PEZs such as agro-forestry economic zone, tourism economic zone and aquamarine economic zone, in addition to defence industrial complex and renewable energy industrial park.
'I hope this will just be the start to inform the Qatari investors of the potential economic zones and industries in the Philippines. I would like to say to the Qatar government we welcome you very much in the Philippine economic zones, she said.
Plaza delivered the keynote at yesterday's summit, organized by Management Solutions Consultancy under the patronage of Al Read Fresh Foods, which gathered six food processing and exporting companies from the Philippines and 11 fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) importers and retailers in Qatar.
She was scheduled to hold meetings with Qatari companies that are now in the process of site surveying, Philippine company formation and PEZA registration stages after signing investment pledges to the Philippines during the recent state visit of President Duterte. These companies are mostly into retirement village ecozone development, tourism, construction, IT and ecozone services sectors.
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