Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Roque expressed optimism that the around 300 participants in the six-day Tatak Pinoy Christmas Village trade fair, which opened Tuesday at the SM Megamall Trade Halls, will generate nearly PHP200 million in sales.
“Wala pa kaming forecast (We don’t have forecast) (sales) for this trade fair but we’re hoping to reach hopefully almost PHP200-million mark because of the Christmas season,” she said.
She explained that the recent Department of Trade and Industry-led trade show netted sales of around PHP115 million, which clearly shows how these events support local businesses and even open more opportunities here and abroad.
“The success rate is like 80 percent, because usually the ones who join the trade fairs are government compliant, and they are ready to accept retail and wholesale buys. Others are even export-ready. What they really need, especially those from the provinces, is exposure, for Metro Manila customers to know that they (province-based businesses) exist,” she said.
“We want to exhaust the 120 million Filipino market of the Philippines, that’s why we are really putting up all of these trade shows,” she said.
In an earlier interview, Roque said Dec. 23 is the peak of the Christmas season shopping since people are making sure they have all the things and gifts they will need for the gift-giving season.
In her opening speech, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) chief said they led 12 trade shows this year, up from five last year, to support micro, small and medium enterprises further.
Joining the shows is free for the business owners in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s goal to provide all businesses opportunities to have access to markets and to expand.
“Our goal is clear – – we don’t just want Filipino businesses to survive. We want them to scale. We want them to thrive. And we want them to succeed,” she said.
MSMEs comprise 99.5 percent of businesses in the Philippines, 60 percent of the workforce, and contribute around 40 percent of gross domestic product, she said.
Roque said the DTI has various programs to support MSMEs, from training to helping in product packaging, branding, and elevating the products to make them export-ready.
“We are preparing the MSMEs to be export-ready because it provides big opportunity. But let us not also forget that there are also big opportunities here in the Philippines,” she said.
Roque also encouraged the business owners to use online platforms to further expand their operations and market access, but reminded them to make sure they are complying with standards.
“The government is here again to assist you as best and as aggressive as we can. In the Bagong Pilipinas, we know that we are stronger when the public and private sectors work together,” she added. (PNA)
