Published May 8, 2021, 2:00 PM
The Department of Trade and Industry – Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion (DTI-BDTP) and Shopee Philippines have partnered for another Online National Food Fair on May 10-16.
The National Food Fair first went online on May 16-17, 2020 and featured 29 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMES) and their food products. This year, the Online National Food Fair will feature around 3,500 products on the Shopee e-commerce platform: sweets, snacks, beverages, seasonings, staple foods, baking ingredients, breakfast food, superfood and healthy food.
Known as the premier event for Philippine cuisine, heritage food, and local ingredients, the National Food Fair is expanding its reach through digital platforms like Shopee. Sellers can engage buyers to know more about their products through live streaming. Items can be purchased with discounts up to 30 percent. Wholesale prices are also offered for bulk purchases.
As of May 2019, 99.56 percent of business establishments in the country were MSMEs. From around 900,000 in 2017, it further grew to 1.42 million, 90 percent are essentially microenterprises with total assets of below P3 million and with less than 10 employees. Data from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) showed that about seven out of every 10 employed Filipinos work in an MSME-owned business.
The DTI estimated that in 2018, MSMEs were responsible for contributing 40 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while providing 5.7 million jobs or 63.2 percent to the country’s workforce.
Recognizing the MSME sector’s invaluable contributions to the economy and employment, the DTI launched the “Go Lokal” program, a free-market access platform for MSMEs supported by select retail partners.
Published December 12, 2020, 8:00 AM
In March this year, the Department of Trade and Industry-Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion was all set to kick off its much-awaited 2020 National Food Fair, which was scheduled to run from March 12 -16, at the Megatrade Halls of SM Megamall. This had to be postponed due to Proclamation No. 922, declaring a state of public health emergency.
With the need to extend support to the local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the DTI through its Trade Promotions Group (TPG) led by Usec. Abdulgani Macatoman initiated the Bagsakan Project, a selling activity with a limited number of MSMEs from the different regions, particularly those selling fresh produce and processed foods.