PH targeting $36M in export sales in world’s largest food exhibit
The Philippines will be back at the Salon International de I’Alimentation (SIAL) in Paris, France on Oct. 21-25, 2018 to showcase its finest food exports and leverage the country’s zero tariff privileges on selected products, said the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotion division of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
SIAL Paris is one of the largest and most prominent food trade shows in the world. The biennial food trade event is a known crossroad of world agribusiness supply and demand, and is regarded as a springboard for food companies.
In 2016, the convention featured 7,020 exhibitors from 109 countries and had 155,766 visitors from 194 countries.
Newly appointed CITEM executive director Paulina Suaco-Juan said that the country’s return to SIAL Paris “bolsters DTI’s aggressive campaign to elevate export opportunities” for local businesses to penetrate European Union (EU) countries.
The Philippines is the only Southeast Asian country under the EU’s preferential scheme. Juan said that they are looking to leverage on the zero-tariff privileges on selected products including coconut and marine products as well as processed foods.
The national pavilion will also showcase other varieties of local food such as tuna, pili nuts, coco and muscovado sugar, dried fruits and juices, liquor and crafted spirits, turmeric products, heritage rice, banana chips, confectionaries, crackers, biscuits, single-origin dark chocolate, and many more.
Juan said he product segments that will be included in the trade show were carefully selected based on market research and the country’s bestsellers in the previous SIAL events since 2012.
In the last SIAL in Paris, 20 Philippine companies netted $36.11 million export sales. This year, DTI-CITEM said they are targeting $36.15 million.
