CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) — The Food Processors Association of Northern Mindanao (FOPANORMIN) commends the Department of Trade for conducting the “Northeastern Mindanao: A Trade Education and Advocacy Campaign on RCEP and Preferential Trade Agreement Seminar.”
“On behalf of our association, we are grateful to DTI for conducting this kind of event. It is very timely for our association since our members are now aiming for our products to go global. This is very relevant to us, and we are hoping for more conventions or events like this to follow,” said Ana Marie Viscayno, proprietor of Sivaco Foods and president of FOPANORMIN.
The Trade Education and Advocacy (TEA) campaign aims to educate MSMEs on the Free Trade Agreements (FTA) the government has signed with various countries, including other preferential trade agreements like the European Union Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (EU-GSP+). The campaign highlights the possibilities and opportunities for venturing into the global market through these agreements.
The TEA campaign also helps MSMEs understand the rules, requirements, and procedures necessary to access these trade agreements and the foreign market. These agreements allow access not only for the export and import of goods but also services and other economic aspects such as e-commerce, intellectual property, and competition policy.
Viscayno expressed that the seminar gave them a clear understanding of the global market situation, enabling them to identify products for export and identify other products they need to develop to connect with the global market. Being one of the beneficiaries of DTI’s program, particularly the Enhanced Business Learning Session (EBLS), helped her company grow, enabling them to venture into more markets. With the TEA campaign, their company now has an additional opportunity to expand globally.
Furthermore, she urged other MSMEs to visit DTI and avail themselves of its programs and training, as these will greatly help them improve and grow their businesses.
Miguel Mejia, proprietor of Filipino Ube House and member of FOPANORMIN, expressed that the trade department’s TEA campaign is a significant help for them. The information shared during the sessions piqued their interest in venturing into the global market.
“This is a great help to open our eyes and access real-time information about how the industries in Northern Mindanao can capitalize on the export market in the global value chain. Without DTI’s help, it would be very difficult to identify these markets. It is great for the government sector to provide us with this valuable information,” he said.
DTI urged all MSMEs to take advantage of its programs to learn about FTAs and reach the global market. They assure entrepreneurs that their office is always available to help with requirements through training on branding, labeling, packaging, intellectual property rights, business registration, and e-commerce platforms. (JAKA/PIA-10)
