05 May 2015 - A Philippine business delegation went to Jakarta, Indonesia from April 13 to 16 as part of an Outbound Business Matching (OMB) Mission organized by the Export Marketing Bureau of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry in coordination with the Philippine Embassy in Indonesia through its Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC Jakarta).
The Mission aims to realize opportunities offered under the ASEAN Economic Community’s (AEC) concept of a single market and production base.
At a Business Forum/Business Matching Activity held at the Gran Melia Hotel on April 15, Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Maria Lumen B. Isleta invited Indonesian businessmen to discover new and unique products from the Philippines as well as explore new partnerships and ventures with Philippine companies. She noted that several Philippine food companies already have well-established operations in Indonesia such as San Miguel Corporation, Universal Robina Corporation and Liwayway Manufacturing Corporation and that several other Philippine companies are interested in investing and setting up operations in Indonesia.
Ambassador Isleta also invited the Indonesian business sector to visit the International Food Exhibition or IFEX in the Philippines, which is the premier international sourcing hub for the finest ethnic Asian food, tropical fruits, vegetables, fresh seafood, Halal-certified products, natural, organic, as well as ingredients and raw materials. This year’s IFEX will be held from May 21 to 24 at the SMX Convention Center in Manila, and will have a special showcase of the 21 APEC Economies.
The participants were then briefed on AEC opportunities for both exporters and importers. The presentations were followed by networking sessions that allowed Indonesian businessmen to confer with the Philippine businessmen representing various food and cosmetics industries. Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) which is a full service state-owned international trading company also joined the Mission.
The Philippine business sector representatives expressed optimism that the mission and the networking session as well as the store visits that they had undertaken will result in possible sale of more Philippine products in the Indonesian market.
While in Indonesia, the Philippine business mission also visited Indonesia’s largest food and hotel show, the Food and Hotel Indonesia (FHI) in Jakarta on April 16. The delegation then proceeded to Manado for more business meetings with local businessmen. END