DTI, DA Vonduct Joint Monitoring of the Prices of Agricultural Products

The monitoring team observed that retailers in the said market are selling agricultural products with an average of Php 10.00 per kilogram price markup which, according to Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez, is still within reasonable profit margin.

However, Letters of Inquiry (LOI) were issued to two (2) retailers of chicken for selling said commodity at a higher price markup, and to one (1) fish vendor for selling milkfish above the Suggested Retail Price (SRP) set by DA.

“These letters of inquiry  (LOI) are not meant to condemn the market vendors,” said Trade Secretary Lopez, “rather, we want to trace the supply chain and see where profiteering occurs. If we can solve this, the market vendors will get their supplies at lower prices.”

In previous interviews, Lopez said that since farmgate prices of agricultural products are going down, the retail prices should soon follow.

“From farm to consumers, only a P50/kilo mark up should be placed including profit for the entire value chain so chicken should be bought by consumers only at P130/kilo when farmgate price is at P80/kilo,” explained Trade Secretary Lopez. “Price mark up of P10/kilo by vendors is okay but price that vendors buy from traders is too high at P130/kilo is too high when farmgate price is only at P80/kilo.”

The DTI and DA have met with several poultry and livestock producers associations and are now approaching traders to lower the baseline prices of agriculture products. The dialogue, together with the conduct of price monitoring activities will be used in the study of the supply and price situation in the market, from the producers’ side to the distribution chain, and to the market ports.

The trade and agriculture departments vow to regularly conduct intensified price monitoring activities all over the country to ensure the reasonable prices and adequacy of supply of basic and prime goods, especially on agricultural commodities whose prices are most volatile.

PH Artisan Jam Maker Gains International Recognition

The Fruit Garden, one of the exporters assisted by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) was recently awarded one-star by Great Taste for its pineapple coco rhum jam during the release of Great Taste 2018 last 1 August 2018 at The Guild HQ in Gillingham, Dorset, United Kingdom.

The Fruit Garden’s jam was recognized with One-star of excellence against 12,634 products entered by producers across the globe. According to Great Taste, for this year, 1,207 foods grabbed 2 stars and 3,254 were awarded a 1 star. Meanwhile, 192 foods achieved their highest rating, three stars. These translated to a total of 37% accredited products out of all the entries this year.

Great Taste, tagged as the world’s most coveted food awards, started in 1994. It is considered as the largest and trusted accreditation scheme for fine food and drink. Products were blind-tasted by panels of specialists which include top chefs, food writers, influencers, food critics, restaurateurs and fine food retailers.

The Fruit Garden is among the enrollees and assisted exporters of the DTI-Export Marketing Bureau under its Regional Interactive Platform for Philippine Exporters Plus (RIPPLES Plus).

According to DTI-EMB, Fruit Garden is the first and only Filipino company in the Jam Segment to be selected due to its product’s distinct taste which is achieved by its cooking process in copper cauldrons, in small batches, under strict quality control. The Fruit Garden also takes pride in the achievement of its unique flavor, made of local ingredients.

After its recognition by the prestigious food and beverage guild, Fruit Garden aims to gain more recognition from global markets by expanding abroad, and showcasing its product to foreign markets for greater appreciation of the quality of food products produced in the Philippines.

The DTI-EMB’s RIPPLES Plus Program is assisting emerging entrepreneurs in the development of their products and services through strategic interventions such as trainings and capacity building; investment, marketing and promotions, support for innovation, product development and design; market access facilitation through Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs) and certifications. These interventions or modes of assistance ensure that the companies are competent and export-ready. The program has worked towards increasing the number of internationally-competitive Philippine product and services exporters with EMB at the helm.

PH Trade Exec Sees Opportunities in 4IR for Trade and Investments

DTI Undersecretary Nora Terrado delivering a presentation during the 2018 Philippines-Korea Copyright Forum.

Trade and Industry Undersecretary Nora Terrado shared various implications of the fourth industrial revolution to trade and investments during the 2018 Philippines-Korea Copyright Forum held last 8 August 2018 in Makati City.

“This revolution will disrupt status quo and will create new businesses – heralding the transformation of systems of production, management, and governance,” said Terrado.

The forum, a joint initiative of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines and the Korea Copyright Commission, discussed various challenges at the onset of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and the internet of things tagged collectively as part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

As among the key speakers of the event, DTI Undersecretary Terrado discussed insights in coping with the various opportunities provided by the changing world and discussed initiatives of the government in assisting Philippine businesses and industries.

Terrado cited the Global Innovation Index 2017 report which laid out areas of strength and improvement for the Philippines. Knowledge and technology outputs and business sophistication are two of the identified strengths of the country while areas of improvement include institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, market sophistication, and creative outputs.

She then noted as high in the discussions of strategies the observable change in consumer expectations which reflect the increased importance and emphasis on privacy, ownership, concepts of time and the changing modes of commerce. She further explained the roles of product and services enhancement, collaborative innovation, and organizational reforms.

For DTI, Terrado cited the overall goals of building the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, removing obstacles to growth, attracting more investments, strengthening domestic supply chains and deepening the country’s participation in regional and global value chains.

She further discussed the Inclusive, Industrial, Innovation Strategy (i3s) being implemented by the Department of Trade and Industry as part of its efforts to transform the country’s economy in the new digital age. With i3s, DTI aims to present new industrial policy, bolder trade policy, and intensive investment promotion initiatives.

Meanwhile, IPOPHL mentioned in a published release that the 4th IR is an opportunity in making the administration of intellectual property more efficient.  As patent information and libraries are being digitized, AI can aid in search of prior art, and can be used as tools for patent examiners to speed up research; and to facilitate litigation for IP cases.

“From the software, to the actual device carrying the software, to the business created from it, intellectual property can come in in terms of copyright, or patent, or a trademark. IP will be at the center of this 4th Industrial Revolution,” said IPOPHL Director General Josephine R. Santiago.