ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/17 February) – The Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority and Freeport (ZAMBOECOZONE) has registered a $2.56-million increase in export value in 2013 representing a more than double increase compared to that in 2012.
Christopher Lawrence Arnuco, ZAMBOECOZONE chairman and administrator, said in a statement that last year’s total export value reached $3.6 million from $1.04 million in the previous year.
Arnuco has attributed the increase in export value figures to the excellent performance of the 2 of the 15 registered locators in the ZAMBOECOZONE – the Seachamp International Export Corporation (SEIC) and CTK Rubber Corporation (CTK), which are the two of the biggest exporting enterprises in the ZAMBOECOZONE.
He said SEIC is a wholly export-oriented company engaged in the processing, manufacturing and distribution of processed marine products, specifically octopus and sillago fish.
He said that SEIC, a Filipino-owned company, exports its products to the United States, Thailand and Mexico.
Arnuco said the firm currently employs nearly 100 permanent employees in its operations seven days a week.
The SEIC, he said, utilizes the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) operation program, which is a systematic and preventive approach to food safety and biological, chemical, and physical hazards in production processes, preparation processes, and distribution systems.
The CTK Rubber Corporation is engaged in the processing, manufacturing and export of technically specified natural rubber exclusively to South Korea, according to Arnuco.
The processed rubber is primarily used in the production of tires and in turn is exported around the globe, Arnuco said.
To date, Arnuco said the CTK engages the services of 35 semi- and highly-skilled workers in their two-hectare plant at the ZAMBOECOZONE 2nd Industrial Park.
Meanwhile, Arnuco said the export value figures are expected to dramatically increase this year with all the indicators predicting a steady rise in demand and uninterrupted production.
He said ZAMBOECOZONE’s export value summary since the start of the year already reached $526,000 as of February 6.
ZAMBOEOCOZONE at present has 15 registered locators from various industries such as manufacturing, processing, utilities and facilities operator, farming estate, management and support services, warehousing, restaurant and catering services, and power generation.