An official of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the Philippines has reiterated the need to export more brands from the Southeast Asian nation to the Middle East markets.
According to DTI-Trade Promotions Group (TPG) Undersecretary Abdulgani M Macatoman, the presence of more products from the Philippines would help address demand from Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) living in the Middle East.
“To a larger extent,” the Philippines wants to see more of its products penetrate the mainstream market, the DTI said in a statement.
Macatoman is in Qatar to lead a trade delegation composed of representatives from 11 Philippine business companies. They are participating in the ‘Outbound Business Matching Mission’ (OBMM) from yesterday until February 24.
Also included in the delegation are Philippine Commercial Attaché for the Middle East and Africa Charmaine Mignon S Yalong, DTI-EMB Senior Trade and Industry Development Specialist Myrtle Faye L Solina, and Trade and Industry Development Specialist Al-Mahdi I Jul-Ahmad.
The OBMM is being organised by the DTI-Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB), in co-ordination with the Philippine Trade and Investment Centre – Middle East and Africa, and the Philippine Embassy in Qatar.
The DTI said the OBMM event aims to develop and expand relationships with business, government, and multiplier organisations in Qatar, and enhance local understanding of the current economic conditions and business opportunities.
The mission is also anchored on the EMB’s aspiration to engage with high-level promotion, targeted market intelligence and business matching, and focused training and capacity building for both large companies, as well as micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which also echoes the thrust of Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Act (PHEDP) and the Expo 2020 Dubai campaign.
Moreover, the project supports the ‘Export Promotion for Philippine Food Sector’, which endeavours to bring Philippine cuisine, ingredients, and beverages overseas, the DTI continued.
The programme’s strategy will build on Strategy No 3 of the Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) 2018-2022, which is to design comprehensive packages of support that will be able to mainstream the Philippine food, food ingredients, and beverages sectors, and encourage innovations on major Philippine commodities and niche products.
The DTI said the featured products for this mission are food items, sauces, spices, mixes, and condiments. For the services, there are cargo and logistics. The mission also endeavours to promote Philippine bananas in the Middle East markets, among others.
The delegation is set to have business matching events, market scanning, store visits, meetings with government authorities in Qatar. Tomorrow, exporters of Philippine food and products will participate in the ‘Philippines-Qatar Business Matching Session’ at the Radisson Blu Hotel Doha from 10am to 2pm, the DTI added. The Philippine Embassy in Qatar and the DTI also organised a seminar titled ‘Basic Exporting & Doing Business in Philippines’ held yesterday at the embassy premises.
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