PH Ambassador Meets Delegation to Seafood Expo in Brussels
BRUSSELS 04 May 2018 – Philippine Ambassador to Brussels, Belgium Eduardo José A. de Vega welcomed a delegation of ten Philippine seafood companies participating in an international trade fair.
Ambassador de Vega welcomed the exhibitors at a dinner event organized by the Office of the Agricultural Attaché-Brussels at Humphrey, a restaurant serving food inspired by the culture and flavours of the Philippines on 25 April. The restaurant was opened by Belgian chef Yannick van Aeken with his co-founder, Filipino-Belgian chef Glen Ramaekers.
The delegation, led by the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, participated in the Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global held in Brussels on 24 to 26 April. The Seafood Expo is a yearly event, said to be the largest seafood trade fair, featuring more than 1,850 exhibiting companies from 79 countries and attracting buyers from around 150 countries.
The 10 companies include: Agri-aquatic Care Enterprises, Inc; Bluefin Seafood Export, Inc; Citra Mina Canning Corp; D and L Seafoods; Fisherfarms, Inc; Jam Seafoods, Inc; Jess Aqua Marine Trading, Inc; Nuevo Fresco Marine Trading Corp; Phil-Union Frozen Food, Inc; and Well-Delight Network, Inc.
Two products from the Philippines were showcased in the Seafood Excellence Global Awards competition to recognize the best seafood products of the year at the Seafood Expo. Fisherfarms, Inc’s All Natural Sausage Sampler Pack (made from bangus) and Smoked Deboned Milkfish (Pure Belly Cut) were recognized among the finalist products in the competition.
Many of the participating Philippine companies said they were pleased with the increased number of the visitors to the Philippine exhibition pavilion and the enthusiastic interest in their products. Some expressed keen interest to further expand their business in Europe. They added that the Philippines’ GSP+ privileges under the European Union (EU) have made their products more competitive and attractive to European buyers.
Ambassador de Vega later said, “I arrived in Belgium just yesterday to assume my Post and already, I see very positive developments in our commercial relations with Belgium. This seafood fair is the largest of its kind in the world, and we are quite pleased to note the success of our participating exporters.”
He added, “The Embassy will continue to work to maintain our special trade privileges under the EU’s GSP+ scheme in support of our fish and seafood industry.” END
The Philippine delegation in the international seafood expo.
For more information, visit www.brusselspe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinBelgium.