DTI’s market matching initiatives boost Bicol exports By Sol Solmirano Connie Destura LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 1 (PNA) -- The market matching initiatives being vigorously pursued by the Department of Trade and Industry Bicol regional office here have contributed to the increase in exports of the region. A report of the Bicol Regional Development Council said increasing Bicol’s share to the country’s total exports is one of the aims of the Regional Development Plan (RDP) the council has formulated. RDC Chair and Albay Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda said the RDP also aims to increase investments in wholesale and retail trade services and make goods available at lower prices throughout the year. Being an agricultural–based economy, the region contributed minimally to the national exports in 2012, with only about 3.17 percent, Salceda said. Total exports of the region in 2012 amounted to US$ 25 million, a 15-percent improvement over that of 2011’s US$ 22 million. Albay province had the lion’s share of the region’s total exports in 2012 with US$ 19 million, or 76 percent, the RDC chair noted. Bicol’s current export markets are Australia, Dubai, Canada, Kuwait, Norway, Korea, Japan, the Netherlands, Taiwan, US, Portugal, Turkey, Mexico, Germany, Hong Kong and China. The region is a major exporter of pili nut candies, fine jewelry, home decors, wearables and homestyle, agri-based products and organic products. Salceda said the region has opened new markets in Finland and Bahrain for its export of processed pili nuts and hair accessories. Bicol has more than 20 exporters at present. The DTI has assisted seven new exporters through its Export Pathways Program (EPP)-Regional Interactive Platform for Philippine Exporters (RIPPLES), which offers client-focused services on the client’s business requirements from start-up to exporting. DTI Bicol Regional Director Jocelyn LB. Blanco said the RIPPLES complements the EPP as the capacity-building component designed to increase the share of exports in the international market. The DTI provides up-to-date information on products and market opportunities to prospective exporters, Blanco added. All six provinces rolled out the program with 123 entrepreneurs enrolled, 40 of which are already into exports. Under the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) of the Department of Science and Technology, on the other hand, the agency offered 57 technology interventions -- technology upgrading, 26; technology training, 9; packaging and labeling, 13; nutrition facts analysis, 5; and shelf analysis, 4 -- to 26 qualified micro, small and medium enterprises MSMEs. Priority sectors of the program include food processing, metals and engineering, marine and aquaculture, agriculture and horticulture, gift decors and handicraft and furniture. To accommodate more MSMEs, SETUP priorities were expanded to information communications technology, health and wellness, packaging and labeling, and renewable energy. (PNA) JBP/FGS/CBD/JSD
Posted on: Mon, 02 Sep 2013 07:16:53 +0000
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