The Department of Trade and Industry’s Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) recently held a series of seminars on Doing Business with the United States (US) for Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) in Manila, Cebu City, and Davao City as part of its Doing Business in Free Trade Areas (DBFTA) program.
Participants including exporters, would-be exporters, businessmen, government agencies, local government units, students and faculty members, and media men, discussed the US market, benefits of the US Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, and the mainstream US market.
Currently, Philippines is among the 122 beneficiary countries and territories of the US GSP program. The program eliminates duties on about 5,000 types of products when exported to the US. It will allow more local exporters including the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to expand their exports products to the US.
Rose Marie Castillo, Division Chief of EMB-Food and Agri-Marine Division (FAMD), emphasized the competitiveness of Filipino products especially in the areas of electronics, fresh and processed food, design-driven products, garments, personal care products, and information technology (IT)-enabled services.
“To keep up with the demands of the US market, one must know the trends that affect consumer choices. At present, Americans are very cautious of their health. They tend to opt for healthier and organic snacks which are convenient and readily available,” she said.
Nicholas Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Asia Etc., a marketing company specializing in sourcing producers and manufacturers of food products in Asia and introducing them in the US marketplace, discussed the various market opportunities in the US for FMCGs. Stressing on the importance of knowing the US market, he advised exporters to invest in improving product packaging, consider online selling or retailing like Amazon or Kroger, ensure product standards and safety.
“Nobody starts out big. You just have to work hard and concentrate on it and perhaps spend some amount of money and it will be all worth it,” he said.
Existing and prospective participants had a one-on-one consultation with Johnson right after the info session where they were given specific pieces of advice on exporting to the US.
DBFTA is EMB’s initiative to increase the awareness of Filipinos regarding the benefits of free trade agreements (FTAs) and generalized schemes of preferences (GSPs).
For more information on the services of the DTI, log-on to http://www.dti.gov.ph
