CABARROGUIS, Quirino (PIA)- - The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has announced that around 200 non-food products of Quirino province will be featured in the Ambiente Fair in Frankfurt, Germany from January 26 to30.

According to Kristal Ann Pera Postre, DTI’s product promotions officer, Gov. Dakila Carlo E. Cua was motivated to join the international fair after participating in the Market Intelligence Mission or benchmarking last year for the Ambiente Fair which is being held every January in Germany.

Considering the importance of the international trade fair in the exposure of micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) as well as the small manufacturers of local products, Cua expressed his desire to bring Quirino to the fair through DTI Regional Director Leah Pulido Ocampo.

Postre said the DTI immediately made a list of MSMEs to be endorsed to the Design Center of the Philippines (DCP) and the Center for International Trade Exposition and Missions (CITEM).

Out of the few numbers of MSMEs endorsed, 11 were chosen. These are: the Maddela Flowers and Crafts owned by Emillia Fernandez; the RJS Furniture Manufacturing of Ponggo, Nagtipunan owned by Lolita Ambre; the Melissa Alipio Furniture of Cabarroguis; the Ulat Wood Carvings of Diffun owned by Pedro Ulat; the Livelihood Association of Igongots or the Wasid Tribal groups of Wasid, Nagtipunan; the ELC Cornhusk Handicrafts of Sangbay, Nagtipunan owned by  Amy Corpuz; the Marivic Furniture of  Maddela owned by Junior Binomnga; the Rosalinda Handicrafts of Saguday Melba Holo; the Dumabato Senior Citizen’s Association of Maddela; the Conan Arts and Crafts ng Ponggo, Nagtipunan; and the Macate Diffun United Farmers Association of Macate, Diffun.

Postre also explained that the participation of the MSMEs is being subsidized by the provincial local government unit through the provincial governor. 

“The expenses such as participation fee, shipment cost, and of course the package which included product development activities before the Ambiente was done last year, and we were assigned to gave us design direction in consonance with the Ambiente theme, Blues on Blues, Whites and Naturals” and also a consultant for product development in the person of Tony Gonzales, an international curator and our curator at the Philippine Pavillon,” Postre said.

She also said the product development which was done through personal visits by the CITEM and DCP to the 11 MSMEs focused on the cultural identity of the province, the availability of raw materials, and their capability to meet the demands of the export industry.

The products, she added, are already in Germany and the MSMEs will also be traveling after completing all their papers. Only two of the 11 are joining the international fair in the persons of Emilia Fernandez and Lolita Ambre and they will be representing the other nine MSMEs. 

"This is now the seventh year of the Philippines in the Ambiente and this is the first time in our province and also the first in Region 2 to join the international trade fair,” Postre said as she stressed that being a first-timer, the province does not expect to generate much sales but to gain exposure to the European market and eventually attract institutional buyers.

The products will be displayed at the  Philippine Pavilion, Building 10, level 4, Messe, Frankfurt, Germany.  (OTB/TCB/PIA-2, Quirino)