The Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT) remains to be the leading and dominant export organization recognized by the government, as the Export Development Council (EDC) unanimously approved the renewal of its accreditation during the Joint Council and Executive Committee meeting, chaired by Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual, and attended by both public and private sector members on May 19, 2023.
Article 2 Section 12 of the Export Development Act (EDA) of 1994 (R.A. 7844) states the Export Development Council (EDC) “shall accredit a single umbrella organization of exporters pursuant to Section 7(1) of this Act to represent the export sector concerns and interests for three (3) years, after which the Council shall undertake a review of the accreditation prior to the granting or re-granting of the said accreditation.”
PHILEXPORT’s accreditation will be valid from June 1, 2023 until May 31, 2026.
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Bureau of Customs and UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Cooperate for E-Trade Data Exchange Study
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) cooperated on research for an electronic trade data exchange.
The partnership falls under the UN Framework Agreement on Facilitating Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (CPTA). This UN treaty aims to expedite the implementation of digital trade facilitation measures for trade and development between ESCAP and the Philippine Bureau of Customs.
During the joint consultative session, the National Trade Facilitation Champions, a group of experienced customs officers, gave their substantial ideas on the feasibility study of the electronic exchange of trade-related data and documents in the Philippines.
The research thoroughly examines the technological capabilities, regulatory frameworks, and operational requirements for implementing electronic trade data exchange. It also seeks to identify potential challenges and risks and develop effective mitigation strategies.
This initiative will contribute to the ease of doing business in the country and BOC’s goal of digitalizing paperless trade.
The BOC and UNESCAP released a report in March 2022, assessing the country’s readiness for cross-border paperless trade, including international trade, based on electronic data and documentation.
Shrimp Industry to Boost in 2023
The Philippines’ seafood industry, particularly shrimp, is eager to boost and relive the Asian countries’ presence in the global market this year.
Fisherfarms, one of the largest seafood processors in the Philippines, targets to reach its shrimp production to 40,000-50,000 metric tons annually.
The firm is passionate about reviving the Philippines’ presence back on the shrimp trade map after its downturn caused by shrimp disease.
Based on the 2022 report by the Department of Trade and Industry’s Tradeline Philippines, shrimps and prawns ranked 17 in the Philippines’ top seafood (fresh or preserved) export products, which is an increase from rank 19 in 2021.
Despite the growing market of the industry, there are challenges that impact its competitiveness as shrimp production is only nine to 10 months of the year in the Philippines. Fisherfarms highlighted, “If you do not have the volume in producing regularly, you cannot build up the capability to be productive and very competitive.”
Despite the challenges, however, the industry is resilient and keeps innovating and leveraging value-added shrimp products. One example is Fisherfarms’ “corn and coconut” shrimp, which came third place at the Seafood Expo Global’s product innovation awards this year.
Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global is the world’s largest trade expo for the seafood industry, with an estimated over 34,000 buyers and suppliers from the global seafood industry, with 2,078 exhibiting companies from 87 different countries coming to the event. It was held on 27 April this year in Barcelona, Spain.
The next Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global will be held from 23-25 April 2024, again at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Vía Venue.
