RP food sale in Korean trade fair more than quadruples

MANILA, Philippines - Sales of Philippine food products at a recent international trade fair in Korea rose to around P70 million, more than four times last year’s sales of P16.3 million, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Agriculture Undersecretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said Filipino exporters showcased fresh and processed food products such as banana chips, frozen bananas and mangoes, fresh and frozen tuna, spiced bangus and processed saba during the Seoul Food and Hotel Fair 2009 held at the Korea International Exhibition Center.

Booked and negotiated sales during the event amounted to $1.47 million (equivalent to roughly P70 million), a 340.12 percent increase from last year’s booked sales of just $334,000, Puyat said in her report to Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.

She said, the best sellers included whole, fried and turon saba; frozen fruits ike mango, banana and  durian, and banana chips.

The products were represented by seven Filipino companies.

These companies were Sagrex Foods, Inc. (SFI), Albero Fruits Processing Corp. (AFPC), KF Nutri-Foods International Inc., MS Seafood Supplier, JN Mercado Seafood Supply, Jarla Trading, Jet Trading and Services, and FAB Sea Resources Corp.

Puyat said potential buyers expressed interest in buying Philippine tuna and are planning to visit Gen. Santos City to inspect tuna processing plants.

Besides the private sector, Growth and Equity in Mindanao (GEM), a USAID-funded organization that aims to link local suppliers with buyers abroad, joined the Philippine delegation to the Korean fair.

Puyat said a significant development in the Korean market is the value-adding trend that has been applied to Philippine agricultural products, particularly in saba, Cavendish banana and mango.

SFI is in partnership with Bio-Balance, a Korean company, to produce saba turon and fries for the Korean market, Puyat said.

AFPC is also in partnership with a Korean company, AFPC-Korea, which carries the brand Delutto. AFPC produces frozen bananas, mangoes and durian. It has the biggest sales under negotiation with 20 buyers, mostly wholesalers/distributors, retailers and schools.

While in Seoul, the Philippine delegation also visited several supermarkets such as the Hyundai Department Store, E-Mart, Lotte Mart and the Filipino Sunday Market in Haewa-dong to observe the current trend in the Korean mainstream market.

Based on this year’s trade fair participation and observation of the Korean market, the Philippine delegation recommended that the country continue to send its top exports to Korea (i.e. fresh and processed mangoes, bananas, pineapples, shrimps and prawns, tuna).

The delegation also recommended that exporters be encouraged to diversify their products through more intensive research and development to enable them to catch up with the emerging demands in the Korean market.