Dutch experts to assist Cebu's export industry

CEBU, Philippines - Three Dutch experts were recently deployed to Cebu to impart their expertise to the export industry here through the Center of the Promotion of Imports from Development Countries (CBI).

Experts in the creative market specifically for furniture, fashion accessories, home décor and garments, the health and wellness, and the seaweed sector will be getting help from the Dutch government, PhilExport-Cebu announced.

These three sector experts will be joining the two external experts from CBI who are helping the PhilExport-Cebu with its organizational strengthening and capability building program.

Philexport Cebu advocacy officer Jun Abines said that PhilExport-Cebu will be farming out these sector experts to the different sector associations under its wing to help these local sectors’ Technical Working Groups (TWGs) draft their respective Sector Export Marketing Plans (SEMPs). These associations are: the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation (CFIF), Cebu Gifts, Toys & Housewares Foundation (GTH), Fashion Access Manufacturers and Exporters (FAME), Cebu Health & Wellness Council (CHWC) and the Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines (SIAP).

Assigned to help the Creative sector is Herr Reinhard Werner of Germany, a market and product specialist who has helped various companies in the Philippines as an export coach.

Theo Nagel, a tourism sector expert, will be helping the Health & Wellness sector and Mr.Siegfried Bank, a food ingredients expert, will extend his expert help to the Seaweed group.

The respective associations will be drafting their individual SEMPs with the help of the sector experts, the external experts, the local export experts and staff of Philexport Cebu in order to come up with new sectoral market entry strategies.

Also lending support to the SEMP projects are the DTI (Provincial and Regional Offices), BFAR (seaweed), DED and GTZ of Germany and the Philexport Cebu management and staff.

The SEMP will become a living document for the sector associations, which they may update from time to time. It will serve as the road map for the SME exporters who are members of both the sector associations as well as Philexport Cebu.

The project is estimated to cost around P20 million. The amount will be shouldered by the donor stakeholders specifically CBI, DED, GTZ, DTI and Philexport Cebu in the form of technical assistance and logistics support.

With this help, the export sector in Cebu is expected to hold its advantage over other competing countries, while competition is getting tougher.

At present, aside from the difficult consumer market abroad, furniture exporters are again facing another problem in human resource, as exodus of workers to Middle East has started.

Aside from market intelligence, PhilExport-Cebu is also working to release an intensive guide or blueprint through Sector-Export-Marketing-Plan (SEMP), to help ailing exporters continue their businesses amid difficult environment.— Ehda M. Dagooc