Philippines: Trying to become a player in the dragon fruit export market
Senen Perlada, director of the Philippine Bureau of Export Trade Promotion, said one way for local fruit growers to tap the export market is to study existing free trade agreements signed by the Philippines with neighboring countries to find out what kind of products are most in demand in these countries.
The Philippines currently has free trade agreements with Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It has also entered into free trade agreements through the ASEAN with China, Korea, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Speaking at a local stakeholders’ forum, Perlada said the utilization rate of the seven FTAs remains low due to lack of information and fear of greater competition. “One way to solve this is to stop looking inwardly at the problem. For example, sugar only looks at the local market and is fearful of the outside market. It is time to look at the available markets and see if we can penetrate those markets,” he said.
For his part, Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. president Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis, Jr. urged the Philippine government to finish the industry road maps to address FTA issues ahead of the planned ASEAN Economic Community in 2015.
He said that while the export industry has been an obvious beneficiary of globalization, it is the bigger players that have adopted best management practices to increase productivity while leaving micro, small and medium enterprises behind.
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
