09 May 2014 - A delegation composed of representatives from 11 major Philippine seafood exporters and officials from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) were in Brussels to take part in the annual Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global at the Brussels Expo Center from May 6 to 8 May.

The Philippine Embassy in Brussels hosted a networking dinner for the delegation on May 7 for the entire delegation.  Aside from the delegation, the Embassy also invited buyers and representatives from the European Union (EU) and other stakeholders.

In his welcome remarks, Philippine Minister and Consul General Robespierre Bolivar praised the close cooperation between the government and the private sector in promoting Philippine trade and investment interests overseas.

In his response on behalf of the private sector delegation, Mr William Tiu Lim, President and CEO of Mega Sardines, thanked the government for its continued support for events such as the Philippine participation to the Expo and committed to increase private sector participation in the coming years.

Ms Melanie Guerra, head of the BFAR delegation, encouraged the private sector to look at exporting other types of seafood products, noting that there remains a sizeable market in Europe for such products as bangus.

Seafood products, such as bluefin tuna, are among the Philippines top exports to Europe.

This is the fourth straight year that the Philippines participated in the Expo.  Previously known as the European Seafood Exposition (ESE), Seafood Expo Global is the world’s largest seafood trade event, attracting more than 145 countries and 25,000 buyers and suppliers of fresh, frozen, packaged and value-added seafood products, equipment and services. END