ANGELES CITY – A study conducted by a US-based team of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has revealed that despite the global economic crisis, Filipino exporters can still look forward to food as “a growth industry” among Americans.
Ma. Roseni Alvero, special trade representative of the DTI’s foreign trade service corps, presented the study here to exporters amid the decline in Central Luzon exports of certain products, particularly furniture, to the US.
She advocated a reorientation of target consumers in the US citing that certain “recession-proof” products can be supplied by Philippine exporters.
Alvero, a former DTI commissioner for the US western region, said the study was made by five teams in the US to “bridge” the financial gaps between the US and the Philippines arising from the global recession.
The study, she said, indicated that the food industry in the US will continue to grow despite the collapse of other sectors.
Alvero also said the DTI, the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) have already reacted to this report by coming out with a memorandum of understanding to pool their resources and “bring Philippine food into the US mainstream through rigorous, long-term marketing offensives to influence the American palate.”
She stressed the need of “expanding Philippine market share through sustained promotions of food and agricultural commodities.”
“This is where the Philippines has demonstrable natural, competitive advantage and participation of Filipino food entrepreneurs in trade fairs in the west coast, one in Midwest US, and two in the east coast,” she added.
But Alvero warned that the US has remained strict on the safety of its food imports. She advised food manufacturers planning to penetrate the US market to be cautious about this.
She also noted that the current US food demand caters to the “ethnic, healthy, ethical, and organic”. “American consumers also tend to be sensitive about fair trade practices of manufacturers of foods from other countries.”
Amid a plunge in the demand in the US for certain Philippine products, Alvero urged local exporters to reorient their target consumers in the American market. “This should also include Filipino-Americans.”
She said the DTI study cited “recession-proof, design-driven” products that will remain in demand among the more affluent sectors of American society.
Alvero cited “high-priced fine jewelry, first-rate furniture and home furnishings, exclusive fashion accessories, indigenous and traditional wearables, and lifestyle products made from sustainable natural and organic materials” as examples of such recession-proof products.
She said that despite the financial crisis that hit the US last year, the US remained the top export market for Filipinos. In 2008, she noted, 16.9 percent of Philippine exports landed in the US.
Alvero also echoed the optimism of the local business processing outsourcing and call center investors that their industry will remain out of the sphere of global recession.
In this regard, she said the DTI study urged the “development of opportunities for RP companies of appropriate scale and specialization on selected verticals” and “form linkages with US industry and academe to build up technical capacity in creative industries outsourcing like game development, web development, animation and graphic arts for entertainment and media, industries”.
She said that in the Philippines, investments can be made in “health and wellness” amid what the DTI report described as “US healthcare crisis”.
“Big companies find it less expensive now to have their workers get medical treatment in other countries to skirt expensive medical rates in the US,” she said.
Thus, the DTI study urged “targeting US-based global healthcare providers and medical tourism companies into medical zones in the Philippines” and “to facilitate tie-ups with US medical tourism trade organizations, insurance companies and health institutions “
It also proposed assistance to Filipino health care providers “to be accredited in the US Joint Commission International Accreditation (JCIA).”
Ma. Roseni Alvero, special trade representative of the DTI’s foreign trade service corps, presented the study here to exporters amid the decline in Central Luzon exports of certain products, particularly furniture, to the US.
She advocated a reorientation of target consumers in the US citing that certain “recession-proof” products can be supplied by Philippine exporters.
Alvero, a former DTI commissioner for the US western region, said the study was made by five teams in the US to “bridge” the financial gaps between the US and the Philippines arising from the global recession.
The study, she said, indicated that the food industry in the US will continue to grow despite the collapse of other sectors.
Alvero also said the DTI, the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) have already reacted to this report by coming out with a memorandum of understanding to pool their resources and “bring Philippine food into the US mainstream through rigorous, long-term marketing offensives to influence the American palate.”
She stressed the need of “expanding Philippine market share through sustained promotions of food and agricultural commodities.”
“This is where the Philippines has demonstrable natural, competitive advantage and participation of Filipino food entrepreneurs in trade fairs in the west coast, one in Midwest US, and two in the east coast,” she added.
But Alvero warned that the US has remained strict on the safety of its food imports. She advised food manufacturers planning to penetrate the US market to be cautious about this.
She also noted that the current US food demand caters to the “ethnic, healthy, ethical, and organic”. “American consumers also tend to be sensitive about fair trade practices of manufacturers of foods from other countries.”
Amid a plunge in the demand in the US for certain Philippine products, Alvero urged local exporters to reorient their target consumers in the American market. “This should also include Filipino-Americans.”
She said the DTI study cited “recession-proof, design-driven” products that will remain in demand among the more affluent sectors of American society.
Alvero cited “high-priced fine jewelry, first-rate furniture and home furnishings, exclusive fashion accessories, indigenous and traditional wearables, and lifestyle products made from sustainable natural and organic materials” as examples of such recession-proof products.
She said that despite the financial crisis that hit the US last year, the US remained the top export market for Filipinos. In 2008, she noted, 16.9 percent of Philippine exports landed in the US.
Alvero also echoed the optimism of the local business processing outsourcing and call center investors that their industry will remain out of the sphere of global recession.
In this regard, she said the DTI study urged the “development of opportunities for RP companies of appropriate scale and specialization on selected verticals” and “form linkages with US industry and academe to build up technical capacity in creative industries outsourcing like game development, web development, animation and graphic arts for entertainment and media, industries”.
She said that in the Philippines, investments can be made in “health and wellness” amid what the DTI report described as “US healthcare crisis”.
“Big companies find it less expensive now to have their workers get medical treatment in other countries to skirt expensive medical rates in the US,” she said.
Thus, the DTI study urged “targeting US-based global healthcare providers and medical tourism companies into medical zones in the Philippines” and “to facilitate tie-ups with US medical tourism trade organizations, insurance companies and health institutions “
It also proposed assistance to Filipino health care providers “to be accredited in the US Joint Commission International Accreditation (JCIA).”
