• CITEM, in coordination with PTIC Berlin, leads a delegation of five Philippine food companies in the first fully digital edition of Biofach, the world’s leading trade fair for organic food
    • Coconut products, which are among the Philippines’ top-performing export products, will be showcased in Biofach 2021
      The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) leads a delegation of five food companies in the first fully digital edition of the world’s leading trade fair for organic food, Biofach. The 2021 edition of Biofach runs from February 17-19, 2021, where the Biofach website will feature business-to-business (B2B) functions such as video meetings and chats between exhibitors and various stakeholders, including policymakers and organic-food advocates and enthusiasts. Under the FoodPhilippines banner, the Philippine delegation comprises AG Pacific Nutriceuticals; Brandexports Philippines, Inc.; Filipinas Organic Coconut Product Corp.; Pasiolco Agri-Ventures; and Tongsan Industrial Development Corporation. All participating companies were screened and passed Biofach’s rigorous standard for organic food exports, as all products in the show must be certified organic by the European Union. The exhibitor list and the exhibitors’ featured products will be available online live at biofach.de/en/exhibitor-list until September of this year.   CITEM Executive Director Pauline Suaco-Juan noted that for this year’s participation in Biofach, organic coconut products will be spotlighted, as the tropical fruit continues to be among the Philippines’ top performers in terms of export sales.   Under the FoodPhilippines banner, the five food companies are set to showcase organic coconut products such as coconut vinegar, virgin coconut oil, and coconut aminos   No stranger to firsts, AG Pacific Nutriceuticals will feature, among others, its coconut cacao chips and coconut aminos, which is a blend of coconut nectar, fermented coconut skim milk, locally grown organic spices.   Organic coconut-based ingredients will also be featured prominently in the Philippine participation as the offerings will range from coconut creme/milk and coconut sugar from Brandexports Philippines, Inc., desiccated coconut and coconut flour from Filipinas Organic Coconut Product Corp., and coconut sap syrup and coconut sweetener from Pasiolco Agri-Ventures.     Rounding out the Philippine delegation is Tongsan Industrial Development Corporation, which will present two of its four flagship products–virgin coconut oil (VCO) and refined deodorized bleached coconut oil.   “We applaud our Philippine delegation for braving this new world that we’re in,” DTI Undersecretary for the Trade Promotions Group (TPG) Abdulgani Macatoman remarked. “As the world’s second-largest coconut producer, coupled with the caliber of our delegation’s organic coconut products, we’re confident that one of our signature agricultural products will once again account for the strong export performance of the Philippines,” he added.     As of 2018, the Philippines grows about 338.7 million fruit-bearing coconut trees, with 68 of the country’s 81 provinces considered as coconut-producing areas. The country’s coconut sector has also contributed an estimated export volume of 2 million metric tons in 2019 and brings in more than USD2 billion in export revenue annually.   The Philippine participation in Biofach 2021 is organized in coordination with the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) Berlin.