The Center for International Trade Expositions and Mission (CITEM) brings 40 Filipino food manufacturers and specialty companies to the China International Import Expo (CIIE) at the National Exhibition Center on November 5.
The exhibition welcomes various import-export sectors including Food and Agricultural Products, Automobile, Intelligent Industry & Information Technology, Consumer Goods, Medical Equipment & Healthcare Products, and Trade in Services. This fourth edition of the event has brought in 3,000 offline exhibitors from 127 countries. The Philippines will be represented under the FOODPhilippines banner, which is CITEM’s signature brand for Filipino food promotions in the international market. In order to maximize the country’s participation, the FOODPhilippines pavilion will feature multiple food categories including frozen and processed seafood products, frozen and processed fruits, beverages, baked goods and snacks, and condiments.
“China is our top export market holding 27% of the Philippines’ total exports. CIIE is a great opportunity to feature how Filipino products can meet the needs of the Chinese market and also explore other opportunities to further develop economic relations with China,” shares CITEM’s Executive Director, Pauline Suaco-Juan.
Initiated by the Chinese government in 2018, CIIE stands as China’s premier national-level import-themed trade exhibition. In last year’s participation, CITEM reported USD 6.17 Million worth of onsite booked sales and USD 455.689 Million worth of export commitments as a result of the country’s participation.
The country’s pavilion will house 40 Filipino companies namely: AG Grays Farm, Agrinurture Inc., Avante Agri-Products Philippines Inc., B&C Healthy Snack Foods Inc, Castillo Import Export Ventures Inc, Century International (China) Co., CJ Uniworld Corp., Century Pacific Agricultural Ventures Inc., DOLE Asia Holdings Pte Ltd, DOLE Packaged Foods (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Eau de Coco, Eng Seng Food Products, Excellent Quality Goods Supply Co., Fisher Farms, Gerb Golden Hands Trading, Good Sense Food & Juices Corporation, Hancole Corporation, Hijo Resources Corporation, Innovative Packaging, Island Fun Inc, Jegen S.W.E. Enterprises, JNRM Corporation, Jugard Foods Co. Ltd., M. Lhuillier Food Products, Magic Melt Foods Corp, Marigold Manufacturing Corporation, Monde Nissin, Nutri Asia, Oleofats Incorporated, Orich International Traders Inc, Raspina Tropical Fruits Inc, Republic Biscuit Corporation, S&W Fine Foods, See’s International Food Manufacturing Corp., Sunnjef Plantation Inc, Tanduay Distillers Inc, Team Asia Corporation, Uni Steady, Vegetari Vegetarian Products, and Weambard International Technology Inc.
This year is the second time the Philippines will be exploring the hybrid format in CIIE, where the physical exhibition will be complemented with digital components. The FOODPhilippines pavilion will feature QR codes on the product display so interested buyers can explore more about the products and the companies. Digital lookbooks will also be distributed to participants and will be available for download. Given travel restrictions, Philippine-based exhibitors and foreign buyers will have opportunities to connect through online B2B meetings facilitated by CITEM, along with its partner agencies and business support organizations. Specific for this event and the Chinese market, CITEM has also launched FOODPhilippines China Portal (https://foodphilippines.cn/ciie2021/), which is an information platform where potential buyers from China can explore the different exhibitors of CIIE and request B2B meetings. As an added value to exhibitors, CITEM has also enhanced its presence on China’s social media platforms — Weibo and WeChat, where the agency promotes Filipino products and services to a broader Chinese demographic. For year-round access to more exhibitors, CITEM launched IFEXConnect (www.ifexconnect.com) last September 23 which makes thousands of Filipino export goods more discoverable and accessible to a global audience.
The FOODPhilippines participation in CIIE 2021 is organized in partnership with the Foreign Trade Services Corps (FTSC) through the Philippine Trade & Investment Centers (PTICs) in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong and the Export Marketing Bureau (EMB). Government partners are the Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Office of the Agricultural Counsellor in Beijing (DA-OAC- Beijing) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The project is likewise supported by business associations such as the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT) and the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII).