China buys P200-M worth of RP fruits

The country’s participation in the recently held 8th Cross Strait Floral Expo in China has yielded initial sales of over P200 million for Philippine tropical fruits, according to leading exporters and producers who had taken part in the international event.

Roberto Amores, president of the Export Development Council (EDC) and Philippine Food Exporters (Philfoodex), said Filipino exporters who participated in the floral expo in Fujian province last November have booked orders for fresh and processed mangoes worth P150 million and P50 million more for banana chips.

The initial P200 million in projected additional sales for the local fruit industry this year stemmed from a recent trade and investment mission, which Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap led to China in November last year, and which had yielded a total of P9 billion in investment deals and pledges from Chinese officials and investors who will do business in the Philippines.

"For the first time, the secretary of agriculture himself led the selling mission and participated in the event, which was a big factor in cornering huge orders from foreign buyers of our fruits and cupflowers," Amores, who also represents the Philippine mango industry, said.

Besides this windfall for local fruit growers, the Yap-led mission to China last year also secured a commitment from the Guangzhou Jiangnan Fruit and Vegetable Market Development Co. Ltd. to allow access to the Chinese mainland of Philippine tropical fruits through its 5,000 square meter selling space, where 80 percent of China’s fresh fruits are traded with annual turnovers of over $1 billion.

Ruben See, who represents one of the country’s leading banana-chip exporters, said the Philippines’ participation in the floral expo was "time and money that was very well spent," as he pointed out that the P200 million in booked orders generated was definitely much, much more than the P835,527 ($16,710) that the country had spent to set up its booth and pay for transport, supply, food and shipment and other expenses during the event.

Among the Philippine participants in the floral expo were Hi-Las Marketing Co. Inc., See’s International, Viviendo Philippines, King Louis Flowers and Plants Inc., Puentespina Farms, Philfoodex, Regwell Philippines and Dole Philippines.

The products that had been exhibited and sold at the Expo were fresh, dried and pureed mangoes, banana chips, dried fruit cocktail, virgin coconut oil, cut flowers, poinsettia, orchids, cacao, tuna and dried seafood products, coco noir and geotextiles, Cavendish bananas, pineapples and papayas.