Filipino firms sell $90M at Dubai food expo

MANILA, Philippines - Some $90 million worth of sales were generated by 24 Filipino firms from the international trade show Gulf Food Hotel and Equipment Exhibition and Salon Culinaire (Gulfood) 2015 held in Dubai.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry’s export marketing arm Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), $21.3 million of the total sales generated were booked orders, while $69.04 million were negotiated during the five-day trade show held last month.

As trade inquiries are still being made following leads during the event, the CITEM said the total sales tally could still go up.

As part of CITEM’s international brand campaign for FoodPhilippines to promote Philippine foods through the tagline “Taste by Design”, it selected 24 firms representing quality food exports to participate at the FoodPhilippines Pavilion in Gulfood.

“The FoodPhilippines Pavilion was designed to attract and lead buyers to a lineup of exciting food products as well as staple favorites that included native dessicated 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,” CITEM executive director Rosario Virginia Gaetos said.

Other products like corniks, Bonoan bangus, kumpao, coffee with malunggay, sardines in bottles, and organic rice and preserves were also introduced under the FoodPhilippines’ international brand campaign.

Gaetos said the annual participation of Philippine firms in the Gulfood is expected to help make the country one of the United Arab Emirates’ top trading partners.

“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,” Gaetos said.

She also said the trade show opened opportunities for Philippine firmsto capture a share of the $1.1 trillion market for halal.

Halal is the prescribed process of preparation of products according to Islamic law.

This year was the 10th time for the Philippines to participate in the Gulfood which is considered to be the world’s biggest trade show in the food and hospitality industry.

This year’s Gulfood attracted more than 4,800 companies from 120 countries and 80,000 visitors from 170 nations.