Niche marketing seen as key to push sustainable agricultural productivity
A non-government organization is promoting niche marketing as a sustainable means of pushing agricultural productivity to help the country surmount the ongoing global food crisis.
Citing the agribusiness industry as consumption-driven like the rest of the economy, executive director Antonio V. Roces of the Foundation for Resource Linkage and Development (FRLD) said niche marketing could serve as a strategy in growing small businesses to a level where these could attain economies of scale and make agricultural production cope with the country’s surging population. Niche marketing, according to the FRLD, involves focusing on a specific segment of a market where one’s product enjoys a competitive advantage.
“The pizza, salad and herbal products of the food industry initially relied solely on their niche markets, catering to only the elite and the privileged, but eventually graduated into the mainstream consumer market. The changing attitude of consumers in favor of a healthier lifestyle has eventually made these products generate demand from almost the entire cross-section of the consuming public,” Roces explained.
Consequently, niche marketing enables smaller farms to develop horizontally and vertically in the supply chain. As an organized group of small entrepreneurs, they can purchase their own high-tech equipment and facilities, or hire experts as consultants whenever required, enabling them to compete with even the commercially larger enterprises for a wider market.
At the same time, the competition brings about intensified product and market development, further improving quality, quantity and price competitiveness of local products.
Such amazing products will be showcased cased by the FRLD in Agrilink, Foodlink and Aqualink, the country’s biggest and most prestigious annual international trade show on agribusiness, food and aquaculture.
With the theme “Sustaining Agricultural Growth Through Niche Markets,” Agrilink 2008 will feature a vast array of products that have successfully emerged and evolved from niche marketing.
These include non-mainstream products like yogurt, civet coffee, goat’s milk soaps, organically-farmed fish, VCO (virgin coconut oil) varieties, mangosteen and papaya pastes, and such agribusiness wonders as pangasius, black tiger prawn, malunggay tea, rice from Aklan, cockfighting equipment, low-fat salad dressing, palm and muscovado sugars, indigenous plants and unconventional cutflowers, among many others. For inquiries on participation and booth reservation, email frld@pldtdsl.net.
Other products to be featured are agricultural chemicals, animal housing and breeding, animal health and nutrition, equipment and machinery, cooling, storage and postharvest facilities, feed ingredients, feed milling greenhouse and nursery, horticulture inputs, meat products, organic farming and hydroponics, publications, research and consultancy, seeds and planting materials, irrigation systems, transport and logistics and waste management.
The triple events, which will be held on October 9 to 11 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila, also include live animal display, product demonstrations, technology seminars and many other interesting activities.
Agrilink is now on its 15th year, Foodlink on its ninth, and Aqualink on its fourth, all supported by some 20 national trade associations.
