MANILA, March 20 (PNA) — The country’s initial earnings at the Gulfood 2015 — the world’s largest annual food and hospitality show held in Dubai — reached USD 90 million, said Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) export promotions and international marketing arm Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM).
CITEM executive director Rosvi C. Gaetos said 24 Philippine food exporters represented the country’s pavilion “FoodPhilippines” which promotes local food with the tagline “Taste by Design.”
“The FoodPhilippines Pavilion was designed to attract and lead buyers to a line up of exciting food products as well as staple favorites that included native desiccated coconut, coco water, dried or canned fruits and juices, fresh Cavendish bananas, mangoes, pineapples, processed meat, condiments, pili nuts, salted shrimp paste, and instant rice mixes of native delicacies,” Gaetos said.
She added that the FoodPhilippines’ international brand campaign are also developing some local food products including corniks, Bonoan bangus, kumpao, coffee with malunggay, sardines in bottles, and organic rice and preserves which are all in their introductory stage.
According to CITEM, USD21.3 million of the initial sales of FoodPhilippines at the Gulfood were booked orders while USD69.04 million were negotiated.
CITEM, on the other hand, is still tallying total sales of FoodPhilippines during the Gulfood.
“The results of the Philippine participation in Gulfood 2015 continues to strengthen the country’s food exports to the MENASA (Middle East, North Africa and South Asia) region, where Dubai is being groomed as Islam’s global economic capital,” said Gaetos.
“The show also opens up great opportunities for the Philippines’ halal-certified food products to capture a good share of a USD1.1-trillion market mostly spanning the vast Muslim-dominated MENASA and its cultural extensions worldwide,” she added.
Moreover, the country’s participation at the Gulfood also invites global food distributors and retailers to visit the International Food Exhibition (IFEX) Philippines 2015 at the SMX Convention in Pasay City on May 21 to 24 this year.
Organized by CITEM, IFEX Philippines is an exhibition for Asia’s ethnic food and ingredients and is also a platform for Asia to partner to the rest of the world in supplying food products. (PNA)