by admin | Sep 20, 2017 | Business, DTI Updates, Negosyo Center Updates
DTI-CITEM targets $62M export sales in world’s biggest food fair
Coconut oil is one of the products featured in the FoodPHILIPPINES pavilion in Anuga on October 7-11. It is the third most shipped product to EU countries in 2016, with total export sales of $551.39 million
The export promotion arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is set to further expand the trade relationship between the Philippines and the European Union (EU) as it leads a delegation of food exporters in Anuga on October 7-11 at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany.
The Center for International Trade and Expositions and Missions (CITEM) is set to feature the country’s export-competitive products from 19 food companies under the FoodPHILIPPINES industry brand.
CITEM ED Clayton Tugonon
“The Philippines’ participation in Anuga is part of DTI’s overarching efforts to step up the export drive in EU member states and take advantage of the Philippines’ zero tariff privileges under the EU’s current Generalized System of Preferences Plus or GSP+ scheme,” said CITEM Executive Director Clayton Tugonon.
Known as the world’s largest and most important food and beverage fair, Anuga presents a combination of 10 specialized trade shows under one roof, showcasing the diverse product selection in the global food industry. This year, around 160,000 visitors are expected to join the five-day event to check out the latest and most innovative products from around 7,200 global exhibitors.
In 2015, 35 Philippine companies netted $67.7 million export sales in Anuga. For 2017, DTI-CITEM is targeting $62 million.
“Despite coming with a smaller delegation, we are not pulling any stops with our high export target. We have carefully selected 19 food companies that are primed for the European market, each capable of showcasing the best of what the Philippines have to offer,” said Tugonon.
Aside from food tasting activities, the Philippine delegation will also participate in business-matching activities during the event.
The EU is ranked as the Philippines’ 4th largest trading partner, 3rd largest import source, and 4th largest export market.
In 2016, the Philippines’ external trade in goods with the EU states totaled to $13.713 billion or 9.7 percent share of the country’s total trade, based on data of Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Exports to the EU reached $6.970 billion or 12.1 percent of the total export receipts, while imports were valued at $6.743 billion or 8 percent share to total import, resulting to a balance of trade in goods (BOT-G) surplus of $227.74 million.
Among the EU-member countries, Germany is the Philippines’ top trading partner with a total trade of $4.357 billion or 31.8 percent of EU’s total trade. Revenue from export to Germany amounted to $2.329 billion while payments for imports were worth $2.028 billion or a trade surplus of $301.32 million
Within the EU, ninety percent of EU-Philippine trade is concentrated among eight EU member-states—Germany, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Denmark.
As of now, the Philippines is enjoying a special trade arrangement and incentives with European countries as one of the 30 countries listed under EU’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP). Under the EU GSP, developing countries can export goods with reduced tariffs entering the EU to stimulate economic growth and job creation in their economies. The Philippines avail itself of the zero preferential duties on 6,274 products going to EU states.
FoodPHILIPPINES is the industry brand for the food sector which unifies the overseas promotional efforts of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotions arm of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Under this industry brand, the Philippines is positioned as Asia’s most exciting sourcing destination for food exports, being one of the world’s top exporters of tropical fruits and marine products.
by admin | Sep 19, 2017 | Business, National News
Highlights areas of bilateral cooperation with Russians
VLADIVOSTOK—Following the June visit of President Rodrigo Duterte in Russia, the Philippines (PH) successfully concluded a trade and investment scoping mission in Russia, as well as actively participated in the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) on 6-7 September.
“During this mission, we promoted PH trade and investment opportunities to Russian importers and buyers of food products, government representatives of the Primorsky Territory, officials and members of the Primorsky Chamber of Commerce & Industry, officials of the commercial port of Vladivostok, and the Far Eastern Development Corporation,” said Trade and Industry Undersecretary Rowel Barba, who led the PH delegation to Vladivostok.
Government and private sector delegates from the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA), the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), the Philippine Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Philippines-Russia Business Council (PRBC), the Philippine-Russian Business Assembly, Inc. (PRBA), and the Mindanao Banana Farmers & Exporters Association (MBFEA) also participated in the mission.
Meanwhile, USec. Barba also served as panel speaker during the EEF’s Russia-ASEAN Dialogue, where he underscored the latest developments and business opportunities in PH and ASEAN. He highlighted the MOUs signed during President Duterte’s visit to Russia. PRBA’s Armi Lopez Garcia and PRBC’s Roberto De Venecia were also resource speakers during the session and together with USec. Barba, they promoted the country and the vast economic opportunities and complementation between both countries.
Philippine Ambassador to Russia Carlos Sorreta, meanwhile, was a panelist on the topic “Russia-ASEAN 2017: New Horizons for Mutual Cooperation.”
Parallel to the PH participation to the EEF was the PH hosting of the 49th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings on 4-11 September, with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) taking the lead.
“The key to unlocking the doorway of opportunity is by demystifying the landscape of ASEAN-Russian trade relationship. This means generating more trade opportunities between both sides, as well as creating trust and confidence in each other in the course of doing business,” said USec. Barba.
PH also encouraged private sector members to do business in PH given that among the ASEAN countries, PH is consistently among the fastest growing economies.
Also at the EEF, PRBA signed a cooperation agreement with Roscongress Foundation to enhance PH-Russia cooperation, arranging effective communications between the expert communities, business and political groups of both sides. Said agreement includes exchange of delegations and mutual expert support in organising high profile events, as well as expansion of contacts between the two countries’ business communities that will contribute to the development of trade and economic relations.
“This partnership between the two organisations will be an important platform to increase trade and investment between PH and Russia,” said USec. Barba. PH has a bilateral trade value of US$ 226.25M in 2016 with Russia, making Russia its 33rd top trading partner.
According to him, the mission complements the administration’s thrust to increase bilateral trade levels with non-traditional trading partners, including Russia.
“We are prepared to supply Russia with high-quality export products, including food and agricultural products, garments, personal care products, gifts and home-style products, electronic products and semiconductors, and automotive parts and components, among many others,” he said.
Aside from agricultural products, such as fishery products and fresh fruits, PH also offers investment potential in the sectors of infrastructure and public-private partnership (PPP) projects, as PH pushes its ‘Build Build Build’ Program.
“By being a partner in developing Philippine industries, especially in the area of mineral processing and supply of iron and steel, Russian investors can also take advantage of supplying the primordial inputs to our infrastructure development program. They can also be a source of strategic imports that support our local priority sectors,” USec. Barba added.
Russian business can likewise consider opportunities in oil and gas, electronics, aerospace, energy, IT-BPM, agriculture, tourism and retail trade in PH.
by admin | Sep 18, 2017 | Business, DTI Updates, Headlines
More investments, jobs ahead
NEW YORK—The Philippines continues to strengthen business collaboration with investors and multinational corporations based in the United States.
Speaking to 85 business executives in the Philippine Investment Forum on 31 August, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez highlighted the sound macroeconomic fundamentals of the country, aiming a 7% to 8% increase in GDP annually and reduce poverty from 21.6% in 2015 to 14% by 2022.
The trade chief also shared the government’s focus on infrastructure development with USD 160 billion worth of projects to directly address investors’ concerns on power supply, affordable telecommunications, and efficient transport of goods and services.
At the sidelines of the Forum, Sec. Lopez with DTI Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Atty. Rowel Barba met with different associations and business executives to seek opportunities for the manufacturing industries and to continue the government’s engagement with US business stakeholders.
The trade chief had a roundtable meeting with the members American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) to discuss potential relocation and expansion of their manufacturing facilities in the Philippines. He also encouraged member companies, which include Tellas Limited (formerly Luenthai USA), Under Armour Inc., Michael Kors (USA) Inc., Ralph Lauren Corporation, Coach Inc., and the Ascena Retail Group Inc., (makers of Ann Taylor, Loft, Lane Bryant, Dressbarn, and Catherines) to take advantage of the extended duty-free treatment to imports of travel goods (including luggage, handbags, backpacks, tote bags) under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Program.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in New York noted that AAFA members and the brands they carry have increased their presence in the Philippines due to huge domestic market, rapid economic growth and expanding middle class.
Sec. Lopez also met with the officials of a research-centric organization, the US-Philippines Society, for a collaborative project to streamline the country’s revenue-generating operations, to respond to internal and external security concerns, and to mitigate the impact of global warming on vulnerable sectors.
Shearwater CFO and COO Tom Kendrot joined the series of meetings with Sec. Lopez to confirm Shearwater’s expansion through its third operation center in the Philippines, opening in 2018 in Iloilo City.
Shearwater is a US clinical solutions provider, which has clinical process outsourcing operations in Taguig City and Cebu City. Such expansion is expected to bring in USD 7 million worth of investments and increase the company’s labor footprint in the country to 3,000.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez (5th from R) met with senior representatives of leading member companies of the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) in New York City on 31 August 2017 to discuss potential expansion of manufacturing facilities in the Philippines. The trade chief was joined by DTI Undersecretary Rowel Barba (4th from L), Philippine Consul General Maria Theresa Dizon-de Vega (6th from R) and Philippine Special Trade Representative to New York Nicanor Bautista (5th from L).
by admin | Sep 15, 2017 | ASEAN agenda, Business
The Philippines launched the APEC MSME Marketplace, an online platform to promote trade and internationalization of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), during the 24th APEC SME Ministerial Meeting held in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam on 15 September 2017.
“The APEC MSME Marketplace aims to enable MSMEs to participate in meaningful global trade, and in the process harness their ingenuity, boost their competitiveness, and achieve prosperity and inclusive growth in the Asia-Pacific,” said Philippines Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon M. Lopez.
The online platform which is a cross-border business-to-business (B2B) platform is part of the Philippine commitment to implement the Iloilo Initiative: Growing Global MSMEs for Inclusive Development, which was earlier adopted by the APEC SME Ministers in 2015. It seeks to provide bigger voice and better opportunities for APEC MSMEs.
Accessible via www.apecmsmemarketplace.com, the APEC MSME Marketplace which will showcase products and sellers, and trade facilitation services, is the result of the collective efforts of the 21 APEC member economies to contribute to the shared vision of mainstreaming the MSMEs into the global economy.
Lopez added that growth can only be meaningful if it is inclusive and sustainable and this is a priority objective under the Duterte administration.
“This is also the enduring vision of the APEC MSME Marketplace, its reason for existence,” he said.
The portal aims to: (1) facilitate business networking and matching involving MSMEs and large enterprises; (2) enhance MSMEs awareness on trade regulations and encourage participation in policy development; and (3) improve knowledge sharing and capacity building for MSMEs.
To engage the MSME sector to help build sustainable and inclusive growth in the region, the APEC MSME Marketplace is being implemented in three phases.
On its first phase (2016-2017), the Marketplace created linkages to key information by member economies and other available resources, particularly on trade regulations and business support services. In its current phase (2017-2018), more site functionalities are being developed. This includes, among others, the provision for MSMEs to join the directory of exporters.
For the third phase (2018-2019), APEC is working on increasing the trade facilitation capability of the Marketplace through more business matching activities.
Users and stakeholders are encouraged to provide feedback to help improve the site as the region’s trading environment continues to evolve.
Through the Marketplace, MSMEs are well placed to leverage on the endless and exciting opportunities to go global and penetrate more markets.
“The challenge now is to continue to take the innovation and trade agenda forward by leveraging on strategic partnerships that will enable MSMEs to gain the most benefit,” Lopez added.
He called on all APEC member economies to work for closer cooperation and stronger collaboration as they work toward fulfilling their commitment to MSMEs: to help them become competitive and resilient as they embrace the opportunities and challenges globalization brings
by admin | Sep 14, 2017 | ASEAN agenda, Business, Malakanyang Updates, National News
Malaysian investors bullish in investing in PH
PASAY CITY—At the sidelines of the Philippine (PH) hosting of the 49th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ (AEM) Meeting and Related Meetings on 8 September, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez convened a bilateral meeting with his Malaysian counterpart, Minister for International Trade and Industry Y.B. Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed.
The Philippines (PH) and Malaysia (MY) discussed various measures to enhance trade and investment relations including regional economic integration.
MY requested PH participation/support in its ASEAN internship program as a way to improve people-to-people interaction among college students. Under this program, interns will have the opportunity to gain experience in an ASEAN company.
PH, meanwhile, sought MY’s support in the development of the Halal industry through various capacity building initiatives, including trainings and internship. PH also followed up on the proposed cooperation in palm oil, given that this can be instrumental in developing key areas in Mindanao. MY indicated that it is working very closely with Indonesia in addressing the various issues facing the industry, including the environmental lobby in the EU and taxes.
PH requested MY to participate in the business matching activities for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as part of the activities for PH chairmanship.
MY underscored the need for a united ASEAN in moving forward with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
In parallel development, MY investors remain bullish on pouring in more significant investments in the PH given the country’s robust economy buoyed by heavy spending in infrastructure projects, expanding market with a large young population and growing middle class, and the administration’s firm resolve to further ease the cost of doing business in the country and manage the peace and order situation in Mindanao.
A proof of such confidence was the recent (6 September) launching of the Malaysia Chamber of Commerce Inc. (MCCI) in Manila. Led by Malaysian Minister for International Trade and Industry Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed, MCCI serves as MY’s business network group in PH, advancing the concerns and interests of the growing MY investors in PH.
Sec. Lopez, who also serves as the Board of Investments (BOI) Chairman, is pleased with the vote of confidence of MY businessmen in PH.
“During President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to Malaysia in November 2016, Malaysian business leaders expressed confidence in the many investment opportunities in the Philippines,” said Sec. Lopez, adding that these businessmen expressed interest in investing in infrastructure, mass transportation development, building of regional centers, joint ventures in agribusiness, halal-certified products, and high value post-harvest processing facilities.
“Malaysia has always seen the Philippines, particularly Mindanao, as an investment destination of choice because we are neighbors, and we share almost the same culture,” he added.
Meanwhile, MCCI President Edward Ling said that MY companies are keen on investing in PH particularly in the sectors of information technology, construction, energy, manufacturing, and retail.
“We are very encouraged by the seriousness of the administration in addressing the concerns of both the current and potential investors in doing business in the country. We will relay this to our Malaysian investors for them to pursue more investment missions in the Philippines,” he said.
MY has huge investments globally. In PH, MY investments have been on a steady growth in the recent years. Approved MY investments by all the investment promotion agencies (IPAs) reached Php219.038 billion in 2016.
In the first eight months of 2017, MY investments registered with all IPAs reached Php26.242 billion. Of these figures, total BOI-registered MY investments amounted to Php4.33 billion from 2012 up to January to August 2017.
Top MY investments in PH are in the industries of agriculture, forestry and fishing; manufacturing; power; water supply, sewerage, and waste management; construction; wholesale and retail trade; transportation and storage; information and communication; financial and insurance activities; real estate activities, and administrative and support activities.
by admin | Sep 11, 2017 | Business, DTI Updates
Manila FAME, the Philippines’ premier lifestyle and design event, is set to make waves again among international and local buyers as it returns on October 20-22 with a range of new show features and artisans in a showcase of the country’s rich cultural heritage and design ingenuity.
The 66th edition of Manila FAME will strip down to its roots to present a show built upon the intertwine of the country’s rich cultural heritage and design excellence and the promotion of Philippine products. Artisans from across the country will showcase their best products at the World Trade Center Metro Manila and the Philippine Trade and Training Center in Pasay City across the three-day event.
“For this edition of Manila FAME, we put focus on how our culture has influenced generations upon generations of Filipino artisans. Manila FAME has always stood as a canvas to which the best of Philippine lifestyle and design talents embellish their work to showcase the country’s vibrant and multi-layered cultural heritage,” said CITEM Executive Director Clayton Tugonon.
Led by Paris-based design specialist Nelson Sepulveda, New Generation Weaves pays homage to Philippine indigenous and natural materials.
No less than eight show features will be included in the upcoming show. New Generation Weaves, a staple of Manila FAME for the past three editions, will return with Paris-based design specialist Nelson Sepulveda at the helm. Sepulveda will work with more than 30 small and medium enterprises to invoke harmony and balance through Philippine craftsmanship and the beauty of natural raw materials.
GREAT Women Project 2 will also return to highlight the works of women artisans across the country. The project was launched by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) in partnership with the DTI Project Management Team and is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency.
World-renowned designer Tony Gonzalez will also have his own curated setting that will marry the strengths of each Manila FAME participant to create a versatile collection made to match a variety of material requirements, techniques, and price points. Design Commune: Patterns and Palettes will be presented in four themes: Blues and Whites, Ethnic Nomads, Green Tinted, and Natural Black and White.
“Small and medium enterprises from across our country will join us in October to showcase the best artisanal products the Philippines has to offer,” Tugonon added. “Through Manila FAME, we will work towards supporting the success of our artisans and uplifting the Philippine brand internationally.”
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The Center for International Trade expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotions arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is the proud organizer of the Manila FAME – the second longest-running trade show in the Asia-Pacific, and the only trade event in the Philippines approved by Union des Foires Internationales, a Paris-based association of trade fair organizers founded 90 years ago in Italy.
Manila FAME is a bi-annual business sourcing platform of export ready and finely crafted furniture and home furnishings, holiday gifts and décor, and fashion accessories. It showcases the best of Philippine design and craftsmanship. For more information, please visit http://www.manilafame.com/
