THE Filipino food products will continue to be showcased in food trade fairs abroad after the Department of Agriculture (DA) has reaffirmed its cooperation with a group of food exporters to revitalize the Philippine export industry.

DA Secretary William Dar said that they will continue their support with the Philippine Food Processors and Exporters Organization, Inc. (PHILFOODEX) for its trade shows and programs to help revive the country’s export industry, which remains affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

During a recent courtesy call to the DA, PHILFOODEX President Ruben See expressed his gratitude to Dar for the department’s continued support of its trade shows and other programs.

Among these are the Philippine Food Expo and the THAIFEX – Anuga Asia, which will be held in 2023.

Both trade fairs promote Filipino food products among foreign businesses and investors.

PHILFOODEX Director for Membership Mayose Bautista disclosed that sales of the PHILFOODEX exporters during the past THAIFEX – Anuga justify the support of the DA and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

“In the same manner din po rito sa Philippine Food Expo – I believe P500M to P1B ang sales ng mga small and medium [enterprises] and exporters, excluding the six months projected sales na nakukuha nila afterwards,” Bautista explained.

For his part, PHILFOODEX Corporate Secretary Nandy Esguerra praised the DA’s “KADIWA ni Ani at Kita”, which removed multiple layers of middlemen from the agriculture sector, resulting to more competitive prices of local agricultural and food products.

Also discussed during the courtesy call were the efforts of DA to tap the potentials of export development and value-adding and improve the country’s export industry.

Meanwhile, Fermin Adriano, DA Undersecretary for Policy, Research, and Development, highlighted the importance of the DA’s regulatory measures to Philippine exporters during the pandemic.

“The Department of Agriculture should really help in making your sector more effective and competitive. And part of that is regulatory measures naming – the compliance with the standards of the other countries in terms of their public health and safety standards,” he said.

On the other hand, Dar also reiterated the need to link the agriculture sector with the processing and manufacturing industries to boost its contribution to the country’s economy.

“Agriculture must show its way in terms of producing much more volume and more quality products para mas magamit dito sa processing industry. And if you add up ‘yong contribution ng agriculture siguro, it will go to about one-third kung isama mo ‘yong processing ng raw materials. 10% plus maybe 25% from processing and manufacturing, 35% ang agriculture and agri-processing contribution doon sa GDP natin. Dagdagan pa natin ng ating sipag, that will go much higher,” he explained.

He also called on the private sector to partner with the DA and invest more in Philippine agriculture.

“PHILFOODEX will always support DA, especially in all of your projects and your commodity roadmaps,” See said. By Cory Martinez