Handicraft exporters to sustain implementation of product dev't, market promotion programs

MANILA, Philippines - Handicraft exporters will continue undertaking product development programs and aggressively market their products abroad in 2011 to gain a great competitive advantage for their sector.

“Design is our strength so we should continue to hone this because we might be left behind. Countries like South Korea, China, Thailand and Vietnam have design brochures, booth. We should continue to have these,” said Chiqui Veneracion, vice president for special projects of the Philippine Chamber of Handicraft Industries, Inc. (PCHI).

Veneracion said industry players are working closely with the Product Development and Design Center of the Philippines (PDDCP) in terms of development work for the design program.

She said all organizations that represent the furniture and furnishings sectors are also working together as a business support organization (BSO).

“We are working as an integrated group called the Philippine Federation of Furnishings Association. All the homestyle BSOs bonded together so that we can implement a stronger advocacy program,” she bared. “We are already parallel as an industry; we are homestyle under DTI (Department of Trade and Industry).”

To generate higher revenues, Veneracion said they will also employ other sales modes like the internet to gain more buyers.

Moreover, she said the sector intends to tap different funding agencies that can help them finance a number of their identified product development and market promotion programs.

In the previous years, the Pearl2 project supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) helped the handicraft sector implement their programs, Veneracion noted.

The Pearl2 project assisted BSOs in the design, development and execution of programs, projects and experimental initiatives to support their small and medium enterprises (SMEs) member base.

“We are also hoping, in our collaboration with the DTI and PHILEXPORT, that they will still provide funding to help the companies. Of course, we continue to support the members by working together with the BETP (Bureau of Export Trade Promotion) because they have many leads from the commercial attaches,” she added.