DTI-EMB conducts ‘Doing Business with the US’ seminars
Business Mirror
November 9, 2016

THE Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is holding a series of seminars on “Doing Business with the US” this month in Manila (November 7), Bacolod City (November 8) and Legazpi City (November 10), as part of its Doing Business in Free Trade Areas (DBFTA) program.

The DBFTA is an initiative that aims to increase the awareness of businesspeople regarding the benefits of free-trade agreements (FTAs) and generalized schemes of preferences (GSPs).

Participants, most of whom were representatives of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), attended the seminar to learn more about exporting to the US mainstream market and the benefits of the US GSP.

Rudolph Jay Velasco of the EMB’s Market Innovation Division discussed the Philippines-US bilateral trade relations and the US GSP.

Export opportunities were discussed by Nicholas Johnson, president and CEO of Asia Etc. Established in 1996, Asia Etc. is a marketing company specializing in sourcing producers and manufacturers of food products in Asia and introducing them in the US marketplace. The company sells to mainstream retail, food service, as well as the ethnic food markets in the US.

Johnson stressed the importance of knowing the US market.  He advised exporters to invest in improving product packaging, consider online selling or retailing, like Amazon or Kroger, ensure product standards and safety, and never give up and keep on trying.

A one-on-one consultation with Johnson followed the info session to give interested exporters a chance to seek specific advice on exporting to the US.□

Georgina A. Verdeflor, Export Marketing Bureau, Department of Trade and Industry