CITEM partners with BEBC for IFEX Philippines

Aug. 6, 2012 - PRLog -- The BIMP-EAGA Business Council (BEBC) targets 50 East ASEAN food companies to join the 2013 edition of the International Food Exhibition (IFEX) Philippines, the country's biggest export-oriented biennial food event. It will be held from 16 to 19 May 2013 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, Philippines.

This was announced during a recent memorandum agreement signed between the BEBC, the representative organization of the East ASEAN region, and the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export marketing authority of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and organizer of the show.

"We are honored to partner with the BEBC, especially since this is their first time to join an ASEAN exhibition of this kind; and confident that a solid East ASEAN presence in IFEX Philippines will signal the region's seriousness in positioning itself as one of Asia's major food sources," said CITEM Executive Director Rosvi C. Gaetos.  

"We are very excited to lead the BIMP-EAGA pavilion in this world-class exhibition for our members to promote their products within and beyond the ASEAN region," said BEBC Executive Chairman Pengiran Haji Yura Kesteria Yusuf. "Hopefully, visitors can look at our items and be interested in buying and selling them in their own countries."

According to Yusuf, they are expecting more than 15 exhibitors from Brunei alone and approximately the same number from the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, and from the Indonesian province of Kalimantan. "It is good for the BEBC to attract exhibitors to IFEX Philippines because we expect the show to be the place to come and exhibit in every two years."

"IFEX Philippines is the best platform for us to market and interact with other Asian traders. This is in fact a milestone for the BEBC, and IFEX Philippines will be our benchmark when we participate in other similar exhibitions in the future," said BEBC Vice Chairman HA Samad Ahmad.

Launched in 1994, the BEBC promotes the business activities of the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area) sub-region, a cooperation initiative by the four national governments that aims to accelerate economic development in the area through trade, investment, and tourism.

BIMP-EAGA includes Brunei Darussalam; the provinces of Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku and West Papua of Indonesia; the states of Sabah and Sarawak and federal territory of Labuan in Malaysia; and the Mindanao region and the province of Palawan in the Philippines.

It is a resource-filled region covering a land area of 1.6 million square kilometers with an estimated population of over 57 million. It is a leading producer of key agricultural products, such as coconut, palm oil, livestock and poultry, and high-value tropical fruits and vegetables. It is also a global production and processing center of important marine products that include tuna and seaweed.

Doing business with BIMP-EAGA affords opportunities in expanded production, complementation, processing and export, with a focus on specialty markets such as the US$632 Billion Halal food trade.

"We'd like people from all over the world to come visit our pavilion in IFEX Philippines because we want everyone to experience our friendship and discover what BIMP-EAGA has in terms of products, nature, and culture," said Yusuf.

The BIMP-EAGA companies are expected to join other exhibitors from Asian countries including China, India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan and Turkey, in their own country pavilions in IFEX Philippines' International Hall.

Relaunched as Asia's Ethnic Food and Ingredients Show, IFEX Philippines has successfully highlighted quality and innovation in the international food market since 2004. It is co-organized by CITEM with the Department of Agriculture – Agribusiness Marketing Assistance Service (DA-AMAS), which facilitates the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in urban and rural areas throughout the country.

For more information, visit www.ifexphilippines.com or email ifexphilippines@citem.com.ph. You may also contact CITEM through Vicky Arellano at tel nos. 8312336 and 8312201 loc. 277.