China firms taking part in food expo

MANILA, Philippines — A delegation composed of top food companies from China is coming to the Philippines later this month to source products and ingredients.

In a statement, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said the Chinese delegation composed of 12 companies representing the seafood, snacks, cold chain and agricultural products sectors, is visiting the Philippines to attend the upcoming 13th edition of International Food Exhibition (IFEX) Philippines on May 24 at the World Trade Center Manila.

DTI’s export promotion arm Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) has given the delegation the “Very Important Buyer” status.

“One company is seeking to increase banana orders from 120 to 300 containers per week, while another is looking to find sources for snacks, fruit chips, nuts and other new and exciting food that they can carry in more than 2,700 outlets across China,” vice consul Mario Tani from the Philippine Trade and Investment Center – Shanghai said.

Organized by CITEM, IFEX Philippines is dubbed as the country’s biggest trade event for food.

This year’s edition is expected to feature innovations and culinary techniques of top agricultural export products.

During the event, Chinese representatives will hold a forum, as well as panel discussions covering topics such as how to successfully launch food brands in China, as well as key food trends in that market.

“During this activity, there will also be ample time provided for business meetings and matching with the participating Chinese companies,” Tani said.

While China and the Philippines already enjoy strong trade relations, he said there are still opportunities to increase trade.

This, as there are other products Chinese companies could purchase here.

Among the products Chinese companies can source from the Philippines are fresh and processed seafood,  individually quick-frozen fruits, coconut-related products, avocado, durian, mangosteen, sauces and various condiments.

Other food-related industries, including the snack industry in China, are showing robust growth with its value estimated to reach $444 billion by next year to serve the rising demand of the Chinese market as its population is projected to hit 1.42 billion by the end of the year.

“IFEX is a great platform to showcase the best of what the Philippines can offer and help push for more exports of bananas and other food and agricultural related products, which is also one of the DTI’s key initiatives,” Tani said.