Filipino exporters of halal-certified foods, personal care products, and cosmetics showcased their goods at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Outbound Business Matching Mission (OBMM), which was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) and Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC)-Dubai worked together to arrange the OBMM on behalf of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The DTI claimed in a press release that the mission’s goals were to maximize possibilities for exporters and buyers to connect with Philippine suppliers who were not attending Gulfood 2023 and to give consumers access to a variety of Philippine goods.
Also, the OBMM would help Philippine exporters, especially the 15 first-time participants, connect with GCC suppliers and comprehend the halal market.
The Philippine delegation included 26 companies from five different regions, offering a variety of food, personal care, and cosmetic products to GCC’s diverse population, including overseas Filipino workers. The products of the participating exporters in the OBMM and the Export Potential Assessment conducted by the International Trade Centre (ITC) aimed to maximize the Philippines’ additional export potential to the GCC, estimated at USD 100 million.
In 2022, the Philippines exported USD 223.4 million worth of food products and USD 10.9 million of personal care products to GCC countries. In 2021, the United Arab Emirates accounted for 61.48% of Philippine exports to the GCC, followed by Saudi Arabia (18.38%) and Qatar (10.69%).
The participating Philippine food companies include Cattleya & Rose Gourmet Foods Trading, Eng Seng Food Products, Francoeur Merchandising, Franklin Baker Company of the Philippines, Fruits of Life, Inc, G5 International Corporation, Good Sense Food and Juices Corporation, Innovative Packaging Industry Corporation, Jamla Corporation, La Carlota Food Enterprise, Liwayway Marketing Corporation, Lorenzana Food Corporation, Mega Global Corporation, Mica By The Sea Company, Miguelitos International Corporation, Pasciolco Agri Ventures, Pearl Foods International Inc., Pixcel Transglobal Foods Inc, Sagrex Foods Inc., Sandbox Middle East, See’s International Food Mfg. Corp., Turn Fruit Trading DMCC, and Villa Socorro Farm.
The cosmetics and personal care exporters include C and H Cosmetics Industry, Greenstone Pharmaceutical, Inc., and Jegen SWE Enterprises. LBC Solutions Middle East, a Service and Business Solutions company, is also part of the Philippine delegation.
Assistant Secretary Glenn Peñaranda of DTI’s Trade Promotion Group reiterated that the Philippines aims to contribute to increased understanding of Philippine exporters on the halal market in the GCC, with sustained initiatives to strengthen partnerships in the Middle East.
