PHL coconut products featured in German world fair

Philippine organic products, including many coconut-based items, grabbed a share of the spotlight at a recent world fair in Germany last February, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

 

Six Philippine organic companies showcased their wares at the BioFach world organic fair in Nuremberg, Germany from February 13 to 16, the DFA said.

 

"A diverse variety of organic products from the Philippines were on display, such as virgin coconut oil, coco sugar, organic rice and a variety of coconut by-products  such as coco flour, cream powder, vinegar and coconut water," it said.

 

The DFA said this year's event attracted 41,000 guests from 129 countries, and about 2,400 exhibitors from 80 countries.

 

For this year, the BioFach fair was combined with the Vivaness, a trade fair for natural personal care and wellness. 

 

"Biofach has been billed as the world’s leading trade show network for a wide range of organic products that include food and beverages, as well as non-food products such as clothes, cosmetics and essential oils," it said.

 

Of the six Philippine companies, five were featured in the Philippine pavilion:

 

 

A sixth company, Primex Coconut, had its own booth in the trade fair, the DFA said.

 

Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary Salvador Salacup and other DA officials were at the Biofach to show support for the Philippine companies.

 

They also set meetings with German institutions for education, consultancy and technical assistance for assessing the equivalence of organic production and processing standards of the European Union (EU).

 

"DA’s presence in Biofach and other similar events is expected to ensure that current best practices in organic farming, marketing and product research, as well as knowledge on the importance of seeking organic certification, are shared with local farmers," the DFA said.

 

The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) is the international patron of BioFach, the DFA said.

 

It said IFOAM works closely with the national supporting organization, Bund Ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft (BÖLW – the German Federation of the Organic Food Industry) to make the yearly trade fair event in Nuremberg possible.  — ELR, GMA News