The Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation (Oro Chamber) has formed a collaboration with two government agencies in developing agricultural products as a viable business capital potential.

In a statement Friday, Oro Chamber President Ray Talimio Jr. said the organization partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Science and Technology in innovating crop production.

“We just want to maximize the utilization of our homegrown agricultural products into something productive and useful to end users,” he said.

Oro Chamber has identified seven crops – or “7-Cs” – which stands for coconut, coffee, cacao, cashew, corn, cassava, and calamansi, as targets for innovation.

Talimio said the most saleable by-product from coconut is the “buko” juice, which is currently exported as far as Europe and the United States, while domestically, furniture made of coco-lumber is in demand because of its long-lasting quality.

Former DOST-Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) Director Alfonso Alamban, who now serves as a consultant and resource person of the chamber, said they are currently focusing on strategies for the labeling, packaging, and processing of the by-products.

With this, Oro Chamber is set to organize the 7-C’s Convention in October here with a pocket forum in June for the coffee innovation, July for cacao and calamansi, and August for corn, cassava, and calamansi.

The chamber said improvements for coconut by-products will have a special forum in October in time for the business month celebration. (PNA)