FOOD companies from Mindanao (South of Philippines) will lead the country's efforts to penetrate the huge food market in China.
Of the 20 Filipino companies set to participate in "The World of Food China" in Shanghai from September 4 to 6, 17 are from Mindanao.
The World of Food China is one of the most prominent international trade exhibits, and is attended annually by about 10,000 visitors, buyers, importers, distributors, and market representatives from China and other countries.
Mindanao food companies are focusing on China, and in particular on Shanghai, which has a 16 million consumers. Shanghai also boasts of the highest per capita spending for imported food products of all of the metropolitan regions within China.
The center of a rapidly expanding economic zone in Eastern China, Shanghai is a major financial district and a key distribution and logistics hub for cities located near the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), which has an estimated population of 200 million people, whose per capita income is higher than that of most other areas.
The Filipino delegation will promote Mindanao food products-most of them from Mindanao-including fresh and processed fruits, banana chips, mango juice and other tropical mixes, coconut oil, frozen and processed fish, other marine products, seaweeds and carrageenan.
Exports of Mindanao food and fishery products to China have been increasing over the recent past, expanding four-fold from US$2.7 million in 2002 to US$10.8 million in 2005, according to data compiled by GEM.
Major gainers were banana chips, canned tuna, dried seaweeds and carrageenan.
During the last three years, the GEM has assisted Mindanao's agri-fishery and food producers to participate in several trade events in China. These included a Mindanao Pavilion at the Philippine Solo Exhibit in Shanghai, in 2003; a business delegation, which participated in the China Seafood Show in Dalian, in 2004; and the China Goods Procurement Fair, in Shenzhen, last year.
Recently, GEM sponsored a series of China market forums, attended by more than 300 participants.
Source:佚名