Negros Trade Fair marks 39 years of resilience, posts P151M in sales

The country’s longest-running provincial trade show celebrated its 39th year as the Negros Trade Fair concluded its week-long showcase on 23–28 September at the SMX Convention Center Aura, SM Aura Premier, in Taguig.

Speaking on the 1 October episode of DAILY TRIBUNE’s Straight Talk, Mary Ann Colmenares, chairperson of the 2025 Negros Trade Fair, and Christina Gaston, president of the Association of Negros Producers, described this year’s event as a time of “many firsts.”

The fair moved to a new venue after decades in Makati and welcomed a new set of exhibitors following the creation of the Negros Island Region. For the first time, small and medium-sized enterprises from Negros Oriental and Siquijor also participated. Special activities were staged to celebrate local government units, including San Carlos Day featuring the Pinta Flores Festival, and Bacolod Day, which brought the MassKara Festival to Manila.

Four decades of resilience

The Negros Trade Fair began in 1985, organized by 15 women and one man during the sugar crisis, which had devastated the province that produced more than half of the country’s sugar and relied on it for 70 percent of its economy. With displaced sugar workers struggling to survive, private citizens organized the first fair at the Ayala Carpark to promote local products and provide livelihood.

“It was really private citizens who put up the first trade fair. As a matter of fact, the trade fair came before the Association of Negros Producers,” Gaston explained, noting it was born out of survival.

Back then, the fair featured only 30–50 booths over a 10-day period, showcasing homemade food, family recipes, handicrafts, garments, embroidery, woodwork, and ceramics.

Today, the Negros Trade Fair continues to thrive. This year’s event recorded P54 million in spot sales and P97 million in booked orders during the six-day run.

Looking ahead, Colmenares and Gaston announced that Negros will host the Terra Madre Asia-Pacific Slow Food event in November, welcoming 2,000 delegates from 20 countries—another milestone for the province’s thriving local industries.