03 October 2013 – Filipino economist Dr. Bernardo Villegas and Alaska Milk Corporation President and CEO Wilfred Steven Uytengsu, Jr. encouraged Dutch businessmen to take advantage of opportunities in the Philippine food and agri-business sectors during a trade and investments seminar in The Hague, The Netherlands on September 25.
Dubbed “The ASEAN Experience: Roundtable Philippines,” the seminar gathered together officials and representatives from government, development agencies and the Dutch private sector involved and with strong interest in food and agriculture.
The event, an initiative of the Dutch Embassy in Manila, put the spotlight on the Philippines as a destination for Dutch investments. It was conducted in cooperation with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs (MEA), the Philippine Embassy in The Hague and the Office of the Philippine Agriculture Attaché in Brussels. The Netherlands Council for Trade Promotion (NCH), a leading trade promotion agency, organized the event.
Philippine Ambassador to The Netherlands Lourdes G. Morales and MEA Deputy Director General Roald Lapperre delivered the welcome remarks.
Ambassador Morales spoke of the improving economic conditions in the Philippines, with policies and efforts of the past years having borne fruit and the country recording stable and resilient growth. She urged the participants to make the country their investment destination and business partner. While The Netherlands remained one of the Philippines’ top trading partners and foreign investors, she stated that there were sectors that could still be explored and business partnerships that could be established, especially by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and those that are just starting to expand their operations abroad.
In his presentation, Dr. Villegas talked of what made the Philippines the new tiger of Asia, the talent advantages of the country and agri-business opportunities for the private sector. Elaborating on the country’s emergence as an economic tiger, he highlighted the positive trends that continue to push the Philippines to where it is now, including, among others, a stable democracy, improvements in governance, strong macroeconomic fundamentals, labor peace, high rates of savings due to remittances, and a young, educated and English-speaking workforce.
Dr. Villegas stated that a 7-10 % annual growth in the next 10 years was possible.
He mentioned a number of agricultural products that have bright prospects for growth, among which are banana, pineapple, tuna, coffee, cacao and rubber. For food products, processed meats, dairy products and snack foods offered growth opportunities for companies seeking profitable ventures.
Mr. Uytengsu narrated the history of Alaska Milk and focused on critical factors that were keys to the company’s success and rise to become the leading
dairy company in the Philippines. He also informed participants of Alaska Milk’s strong partnership with Friesland Campina, the leading dairy company in The Netherlands, which has increased its controlling stake in Alaska Milk. The partnership, of which Mr. Uytengsu spoke highly, came with global material supply, the availability of new research and development facilities that greatly complemented the company’s pursuit of new product development, the expansion of brand portfolio, the exchange of market learning, experiences and talent, and the distribution of products outside territories. Alaska-Friesland Campina is exporting filled milk to Nigeria and will be the hub for exporting milk products to other countries.
In 2012, The Netherlands ranked as the Philippines’ 14th trading partner and 10th export market with close to US$ 2 billion in total trade. It was the number three foreign investor in the past 10 years. Last year, Dutch investments reached US$ 2 billion, the highest of any foreign investor. END