Philippines trip sparks fruitful conversations

The Philippines is a country that relies on agricultural imports for food and food ingredients and also has a strong affinity for American brands, making it an ideal place for the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance to visit and talk about the high-quality, identity-preserved field-crop products supplied by its members.

Last week, SSGA Chair Rob Prather and Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick traveled to Manila to participate in a U.S. Department of Agriculture-sponsored trade mission that included opportunities to engage with potential buyers, receive in-depth market briefings from Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and industry trade experts and participate in site visits.

They were part of a U.S. delegation, led by FAS Administrator Daniel Whitley, that included representatives from 29 agribusinesses and farm organizations, as well as representatives from several state departments of agriculture. The trade mission’s goal was to promote two-way cooperation and build trade opportunities between the United States and the Philippines.

“The Philippines is an excellent market for U.S. farm and food products, and we look forward to introducing a diverse group of companies and organizations to new export opportunities there,” Whitley said prior to the trade mission. “U.S. brands sell very well in the Philippines, where consumers regard our products as safe, reliable and of good quality. The United States has enjoyed a long and prosperous trading relationship with the Philippines, and this mission is an ideal opportunity to further expand our exports there.”

During two days of business-to-business meetings, SSGA was able to connect with about 20 companies. Frederick directed buyers to the SSGA Trades Lead web page, as well as to SSGA University, where they could learn more about the U.S. identity preserved system and how identity preserved field crops can make their products better. Additionally, it was an opportunity to show the new U.S. Identity Preserved mark and assurance plan and talk about it with businesses, FAS officials and others involved with trade between the United States and the Philippines.

“This trip was a great opportunity to start new relationships and continue conversations we started with some of the virtual events and presentations we participated in over the last two years,” Prather said. “As successful as some of those online opportunities were, it was just as important for us to meet those businesses in person and see the potential for ourselves.”

Prather spent the previous week in Vietnam along with SSGA Technical Adviser for Southeast Asia Hoa Huynh. In the coming months, technical advisers Alyson Segawa (North Asia) and Philip Shull (South Asia) will travel to Japan and India and Nepal, respectively, along with SSGA board directors.

These are important and growing markets for SSGA’s processing and exporting members. In the Philippines, which is the eighth-largest market for U.S. agricultural products, averaging $3.1 billion, there is both a need for imported food and food ingredients to keep up with the pace of growth and stave off shortages, as well as a growing middle class that is buying higher-quality foods. The latter category is willing to spend more and has an affinity for products from the United States or products that contain U.S. ingredients.

Prather and Frederick took part in tours of a membership shopping center (think Costco or Sam’s Club) and a grocery store in Manila where U.S. foods were prominently featured. The Robinson’s Supermarket chain, for instance, was highlighting U.S. brands as part of a monthlong “American Festival.”