Phl targets to surpass last year's $1.1-million sales in biz expo

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines joins nine countries in this year’s ASEAN-Food & Beverage Trade Mission with business meetings from July 25 to Aug. 5, 2011 at the ASEAN-Japan Centre in Tokyo, Japan.

Led and supported by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Philippine participation in this year’s Japan expo is expected to gain greater sales and carve a niche in Japan’s booming functional food market.

“Japan is one of the Philippines’ top markets for food, particularly for fresh and processed food products. With last year’s successful participation marking negotiated sales of around $1.1 million and almost a hundred trade inquiries, we look forward to take a significant slice of Japan’s $16.4 billion market for functional food, or food products that provide health and well-being benefits,” said Rosvi C. Gaetos, executive director of CITEM.

According to leading information source Datamonitor, Japan is the second largest market for functional food and drinks. The event which carries this year’s theme “Food for Life: Empowering Body & Soul”, thus, provides an opportunity for the Philippines to supply Japan with food products that have proven health benefits. The event also opens doors for the Philippine delegation to network with 30 food exhibitors from the ASEAN region, and to tighten relations with Japanese buyers.

The Philippine group includes Philfresh Corp. (frozen and value-added tuna), Fitrite Inc. (coconut products and fruit juices), and Green Tropics Coffee Enterprise (civet coffee).

“This is a great opportunity for us because Japan is the world’s second largest market for functional food and drinks, and we know the Japanese prefer unique products. They have the capacity to pay and have concern for the environment,” said Fred Fredeluces, proprietor of Green Tropics Coffee Enterprise, which trades, processes, and markets civet coffee sustainably harvested by the B’laan tribe of Mt. Matutum in South Cotabato. “We are excited that our products will be popularized in Japan and would benefit our country, our environment and our people in the mountains,” adds Fredeluces.

Since 1981, the ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC) has promoted exports from ASEAN to Japan while revitalizing investment and tourism from Japan to ASEAN through the organization of exhibitions of ASEAN products, seminars and workshops, among others.