Middle East buyers interested in dried fruits, tropical juices from RP
Philippine dried fruits and tropical fruit juices received increased inquiries from buyers from the Middle East in the recent Gulfood 2010, Middle East’s leading food fair, reported the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The Middle East, which imports 90% of its food from overseas has long been a market for Philippine food and beverage companies.
“I received inquiries of processed fruits in container loads from buyers not just from the Middle East but from other regions such as Africa,” said Blesilda Ongchuan, Marketing Director of Q-Phil Product International Trading, Inc. This is the second time for Q-Phil to join Gulfood.
Another Filipino company, FCG Trading Philippines, Inc., brought an assortment of dried fruits such as mango, jackfruit, coconut, papaya, pineapple, melon, and soursop and enjoyed positive response.
“Buyers now prefer the rich and natural taste of our dried fruits compared to the sugary taste from other countries,” shared Corazon Alforja, Export Manager of FCG Trading Philippines, Inc.
The third Philippine participation generated US$12.9M during the four-day event. Buyers from United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, India, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Singapore, Pakistan, China, and Sri Lanka among others visited Gulfood 2010.
The Philippine participation in Gulfood is part of the international promotion activities for Philippine food exports led by DTI thru CITEM. The activity is also meant to attract food buyers to IFEX Philippines, a government-led trade fair for quality and delectable food for exports scheduled this May.
Gulfood was held in Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center on 21-24 February 2010
Other exporters and manufacturers who joined Gulfood were Primex Coco Products, Inc., coconut by-products; Celebes Coconut Corporation, desiccated coconut; Florence Foods Corp., fermented marine products, veggie noodles, and frozen products; FCG Trading Philippines, Inc., bottled tropical fruit preserves, sauces and mixes, condiments, dried noodles, confectioneries and snacks, dried fish, frozen vegetables, and health and personal care products; Global 88 Intl. Trading Corp., mixes, condiments, and seasonings; Mega Fishing Corporation, sardine; Monde Nissin, noodles, biscuits, and crackers; Market Reach International, processed foods; Atson-Tropicana Food Products, Inc., nuts and coconuts; Ngosiok Marketing, Super Q noodles; Q-Phil Products International, noodles, sauces and condiments, and marine products; and Oceanic Exports. Inc., snack foods, sauces and condiments, and processed fruits.
The Middle East food market is a gem opportunity for the Philippine food exporters. The growing number of Filipinos working and permanently residing in the Middle East is a ready market. Aside from the ready Filipino market in the Middle East, the Philippines also targets niche markets including Halal-certified products.
Industry reports said that there are more than 300 Halal-certified companies covering more than 5,000 products in the Philippines. To date, the total value of the global Halal food market is worth about US$632B based on industry reports.
Moreover, Dubai offers the best starting point for marketing Philippine foods to the Middle East. It is the transshipment zone to other parts of Middle East and it offers almost zero tariff to exporters.
Another opportunity identified in the participation is the potential of food chains and coffee shops as most restaurants, malls, and shopping centers are hard to reach. People have to go to these areas just to eat.
Food trends were also observed in the buying pattern of the trade fair attendees. Buyers now go for convenient – ready to eat, instant foods, easy-open cans, and pouches; organic or natural – organically grown; healthy – nutritional value and health certifications such as International Organization for Standardization and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP); and single-served – consumed in one seating or easily disposed.
For information, log on to www.ifexphilippines.com/gulfood.
