Turkish flour imports benefit SMEs - importer

MANILA, Philippines - Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are benefiting from Turkish flour importations in the country, a leading flour importer said.

Ernesto Chua Co Kiong, a member of Philippines-Turkish Business Council and owner/president of Malabon LongLife Trading Corp., said cottage industries – from polvoron makers, neighborhood bakeries and small biscuit and noodle factories – are able to remain in business, due to the availability of more affordable flour.

“Being of good quality and yet more affordable than the other flours, Turkish flour helps SMEs to thrive, especially in these times when prices of food raw materials and ingredients have all gone up,” he noted.

“These small entrepreneurs survive rising business costs. This is largely because of the availability of raw materials like Turkish flour,”added Co Kiong. “In turn, thousands of Filipinos have livelihood because of these backyard industries and medium scale businesses which use Turkish flour.”

Movements in flour prices have a huge impact on food products like bread where a main ingredient is flour, accounting for 60-65 percent of the overall cost of making bread.

Turkish flour accounts for half of the 10-percent market share of imported flour in the country, or five percent of the Philippines total wheat flour consumption.

“The Philippines does not grow wheat, so there will be no farmers that will be displaced by importation of wheat or wheat flour. Thus, to be able to provide more affordable bread and noodles to the Filipinos, the government should be open to more affordable and yet quality sources of the flour like other non-wheat producing countries,” Co King noted.

The Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in charge of ensuring the safe supply of food products in the country, has tested Turkish flour to be safe and fit for human consumption. Turkey’s wheat flour exports comply with ISO 9001: 2000, ISO 22000 and HACCP on quality and food safety. Premiere inspection firm SGS has likewise approved Turkish flour’s quality and safety.

Currently the largest exporter of wheat flour in the world, Turkey has exported its wheat flour to 126 countries including the US, UK and Japan.

  Over a billion people from all over the world consume food made from Turkish flour.