Trade department is eyeing Qatari, other mainstream markets for Philippine exports, says official

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the Philippines is seeking to tap the Qatari and mainstream markets in a bid to make the Southeast Asian nation the "preferred source" for a wide range of food and beverage (F&B) and cosmetics and personal care products, an official said yesterday.
Speaking at the Qatar leg of the DTI's Outbound Business Matching Mission (OBMM) to GCC countries, Glenn Penaranda, assistant secretary and officer-in-charge of the DTI Trade Promotions Group, said Qatar is a key export market for Philippine F&B, personal healthcare, and related products.
Penaranda is leading this year's OBMM to GCC countries, which is showcasing high-quality products from more than a dozen export companies from the Philippines.
In his speech, Penaranda lauded the participation of representatives of the different Qatari companies that attended the event, which concludes today. The OBMM kicked off in Manama, Bahrain, and proceeded to Kuwait City. From Qatar, the mission will culminate in Dubai (February 16 to 25) in time for 'Gulfood 2023'.
"Beyond this captive market, we really aim to also serve the mainstream market...we encourage both our buyers and partners and our exporters to establish partnerships in pursuing market opportunities here in Qatar and beyond.
"As we promote increased bilateral relations with Qatar, be assured that the Philippine government through the DTI, the Philippine Trade and Investment Centre (PTIC) in Dubai, and the Philippine embassy in Qatar, will actively engage the Qatari government, its authorities, and the private sector, in facilitating more bilateral business," Penaranda stressed.
In her welcome remarks, Philippine ambassador to Qatar Lilibeth V Pono emphasised that exporting companies from the Philippines will not only serve the more than 260,000 overseas Filipinos in Qatar but also the hundreds of thousands of Asian expatriates here, making the country "a very large market for Philippine products."
"These Filipino F&B and personal healthcare products will not only cater to the taste of other cultures but also meet global standards in the industry. Filipino products are marketable. They are global. And they can withstand the dynamics of the ups and downs of the global trade and economic environment," Pono said.
She added: "The business mission from the Philippines sets out to reinvigorate trade relations and reduce the trade gap between the Philippines and Qatar. In 2021, the total bilateral trade reached $224mn, of which, $46mn represents Philippine exports to this country.
"In 2021, Qatar ranked as the Philippines' 41st trading partner. We see that there is still enormous opportunities that remain untapped based on our export assessment and the potential export of Philippine food and agri-based products alone can grow to as much as $90mn."