Cebu Mounts First Regional Food Showcase at IFEX Philippines 2018

The famous danggit, or dried rabbit fish, and other Cebuano delicacies may soon be present in more retail chains abroad as Cebu seeks to widen its market reach in the 12th edition of IFEX Philippines on May 25-27 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM) and the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC).

IFEX Philippines is the country’s biggest export‐oriented food show organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotion arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

DTI Central Visayas Regional Director Asteria Caberte

In partnership with CITEM, the DTI’s Region VII Central Visayas-Regional office is rallying Cebu-based food companies to stage a first-ever Cebu Regional Pavilion in IFEX Philippines to highlight the province’s premier culinary culture and export-readiness.

“Buyers can relish in our grand showcase of flavors and proudly made products from the Queen City of the South. We will let the world experience the distinct Cebuano food culture and make a statement that we are ready to fulfill the needs of the global market,” said DTI Central Visayas Regional Director Asteria Caberte.

“In this first regional participation, hopefully we can attract more buyers abroad especially from Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and China,” she added.

In line with the seafood theme of IFEX Philippines 2018, the Cebu Regional Pavilion will present the exquisite taste of the province’s marine products, including crabs, shrimps, mussels, scallops, fish fillet, cuttlefish, squid, and other crustaceans and mollusks.

“The Cebu [Regional] Pavilion will have a gallery of fresh, frozen, and dried seafood, such as the very popular danggit, blue crab variety, native scallops, and black tiger shrimps. Buyers can also taste our world‐famous dried mangoes and lechon, along with other native treats and delicacies,” Caberte said.

Companies that have already confirmed their participation in the Cebu pavilion are Sea World Ex-Im Traders, Asian Wave Seafood Corp., Akai Foods, Inc., HJR International Corp., Phil-Union Frozen Foods, Inc. (PUFFI), and Central Seafoods Corp.

Vannamei Shrimps from HJR International Corp.

Cebu as a premier export hub

Based on a data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Cebu accounted for 8.5% ($4.9 billion) of the Philippine merchandise exports to the world from January to November 2017.

Cebu also continues to get a bulk of the total Region 7 exports for the past years. In 2015, the total export of Cebu is valued at US $4.18 billion, which is 98.52% of the total merchandise exports of Region 7. Japan continues to dominate as the major export market of Cebu accounting for 24.50% share. Also, USA and China get a relative share of 16.25% and 11.61%, respectively.

“This high export share is due to the province’s strategic location since around 80 to 85 percent of shipping companies in the country have linkages to Cebu,” Caberte said.

The seaport of Cebu offers excellent cargo services and shipping to international destinations not only in Asia but also to London, USA, Australia and Canada. Situated at the city frontage between Cebu and Mactan Island, the base port has more than 4,000 meters (from International to Domestic Zone) in length. According to Cebu Port Authority, Cebu handles more than 800,000 metric tons of containers annually for domestic and foreign transshipment.

Seafood producers in Cebu adhere to strict food safety compliance. Photo taken at the crab processing area of Phil-Union Frozen Foods, Inc. (PUFFI).

As of 2017, Cebu also has 11 ecozones registered under Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), mostly concentrated within the metropolitan area, with further plans to expand to 17 ecozones. Located in these ecozones are its international airport, seaports, manufacturing and processing zones and the availability of areas/facilities for future expansion.

However, Caberte noted that seafood exporters only accounted for 2.3% of Cebu’s total export in 2016, which is the reason they are looking forward to increasing its total share given Cebu’s potential as a marine producer in IFEX Philippines.

“As the center of commerce and industry in the Visayas, Cebu has an adequate infrastructure and immense potential to become an even bigger seafood player in the export industry than what it is today. That is why we are making sure that we are tapping all available marketing platforms to give more push to our food exporters,” she added.

Aside from joining IFEX Philippines, Caberte said DTI-Cebu also leads the establishment of shared service facilities for fisherfolks in Bantayan Islands, Sitio Kalubian, and Tamiao.

“In Bantayan Islands alone, we have four new shared service facilities (SSF) for fish drying which provides a lot of help for smaller businesses,” she said. “For bigger companies, we maintain constant communication with them to ensure they are aligned with strict standards of food certification bodies.”