PH expo now said to be Asia’s top hub for F&B sourcing

MANILA, Philippines–The International Food Exhibition (Ifex) Philippines has reaffirmed its position as the most important food and beverage sourcing hub in Asia, as it attracted over 700 local and international exhibitors for the biennial event scheduled later this month.

According to the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (Citem), Ifex Philippines is gathering under one roof the leading food and ingredient companies from the Philippines and 15 member-states of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec).

The country’s leading business-matching platform for food and beverage, which will run from May 21 to 24, will not only offer an ideal trading platform for these companies, but will also boost the export of homegrown and locally developed products.

“Ifex Philippines spotlights on the continuous and impressive growth of the Philippine food and beverage industry that is stimulated by the international recognition of the healthy, safe, nourishing and high-quality food and ingredients produced by our local companies and manufacturers,” Citem executive director Rosvi C. Gaetos said in a statement.

The last edition of this exhibition, the 2013 Ifex Philippines, was considered a huge success with exhibitors reporting a “remarkable export sales” of $600 million.

That show generated more than 13,000 trade buyers and visitors from all over the world, and saw over 600 local and international exhibitors participating in the event.

For the 2015 Ifex, Philippine cooperatives, farmers, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) collaborated with the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Export Marketing Bureau and the Regional Offices of the Department of Trade and Industry to bring to the table an extensive range of top-quality, export-ready products such as seafood, sugar, coconut, grains, cereals, fruits and vegetables.

“Ifex Philippines’ partner cities Dagupan, Laoag, Pasig, Taguig and Quezon City, as well as the partner province of Negros Occidental, will exhibit heritage foods and beverages, heirloom recipes and exotic regional delicacies, as well as innovative food products from the developmental program of Citem for small and medium enterprises,” the agency explained.

“International exhibitors, on the other hand, will offer a rich and diverse presentation at the four-day trade fair, representing 15 Apec economies [including] the United States, China, Taiwan, New Zealand, Thailand, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, and Vietnam,” it added.