Food makers promote RP products in Middle East

Representatives of local food manufacturers began on Monday a weeklong mission in Saudi Arabia to promote Philippine-made products and seek joint ventures with Saudi investors. Dubbed as the 2nd International Food Exhibition (IFEX) Roadshow and Food Business Mission to the Middle East, the group will be in the kingdom until Nov. 11 to explore business opportunities. Eight food companies will be exhibiting their products. Paisal D. Abdullah, commercial attaché in the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Jeddah, said the product promotion is in line with the commitment to improve bilateral trade relations between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia. The mission also seeks to promote the International Food Exhibition the Philippines will host in 2008. The delegation from Manila will be meeting with leaders of the Filipino business community in Jeddah Monday night and with top officials of the Jeddah chambers of commerce on Tuesday. The Philippine consulate said the delegation members are one-on-one meetings with Saudi investors at the Ramada Continental Hotel (formerly Al-Harithy Hotel) on Nov. 7 from 9 am to 1 pm and from 5 pm to 9 pm. The group will visit Riyadh on Nov. 9 to 11. They will pay a courtesy call on leaders of Riyadh’s chamber of commerce and meet with Saudi and Filipino business communities there. Imelda Madarang, vice president and general manager of RFM Corp. leads the business group, with Ma. Antonieta Salazar of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (Citem) as project manager. The members of the Food Business Mission with their product lines are the RFM’s Madarang; export manager Mark Henry Go; and export assistant Katrina Kay Santos of White King Sauce mixes, native cake mixes, rice-based mixes, hotcake mixes, pancit noodles and sauce mix 2- in – 1, fiesta pasta, spaghetti sauce, Selecta ice cream, Selecta MOO flavored milk drink, Selecta fruit drink, instant drink mix, Swift chicken, Aqua Blue Mountain Spring water. Fisher Farms Inc. general manager Jaime To, and his export manager William Cansino, who will be promoting milkfish or bangus, whole deboned bangus, marinated bangus, smoked baby bangus, sinigang cut bangus, bangus belly, fish sausage, fish loaf. Florence Foods Corp export director Ricardo Blanca of bottled preserves, seasonings and condiments, salted and sautéed marine products, dried, frozen and smoked marine products, noodles and pastry wrapper, frozen fruits and vegetables, coconut products. Fortress Food Manufacturing Corp plant manager and representative to the Middle East Dario Coronel, represents halal-certified facility and products canned goat meat products ( kaldereta, papaitan, sinampalukan ), canned vegetable products (laing, or taro leaves in coconut milk), puso nang saging (banana blossom). He said the products are processed with no preservatives or monosodium glutamate. KSK Food Products export manager Marinette Ann Celores seeks to strengthen the grip of Boy Bawang cornicks (flour flavors – garlic, chili cheese, adobo & barbecue), Cowboy Choco Chips, Cookies chocolate chips, Little Giant Egglets, cookies, and Cowboy Choco Sandwhich Cookies in the Middle East market. Q-Phil Products International managing director Blesila Ongchuan, and assistant marketing director Edwin Ongchuan, will exhibit halal – certified noodles and bottled sweet preserves. D' Fortune Philippines, Inc president Pratap K. Vanjani and export assistant Lilibeth Delgado will have quality canned bottled foodstuff and Cosmetiques MPC Pangasinan Tropical Fruits export manager Renato De Vera promotes fresh and processed mangoes. Tarciana R. Redondo, senior agriculturist from the Market Promotion and Development Division Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service in the Department of Agriculture, joins the group. The delegation will also travel to Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to pursue business opportunities there. Community members have noted that while Philippine food exports to Saudi Arabia jumped significantly in the last five years, the volume remains low despite the big number of Filipinos, estimated by the Philippine Embassy to have surpassed 900,000 last year. - Ronaldo Concha, GMANews.TV