PH fruit products exporter targets EU

By Jenica Faye Garcia, Manila Times

January 4, 2024

SOUTH Cotabato-based fruit products exporter Kablon Farms is aiming to expand its reach to the European Union with the extension of the Generalized System of Preferences Plus (GSP+), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said on Wednesday.

"We would like to expand our product offering to the European Union ... The biggest challenge for us was relearning how to export other products to another country," Kablon Farms co-owner Leonor Pantua said in the DTI statement.

The company currently exports fruit-based products to Canada, Singapore, and several other countries, the Trade department said.

Based in Tupi, South Cotabato, Kablon Farms currently produces jams, jellies, tropical fruit purées, chocolate bars, juices, virgin coconut oil, and cacao butter, among others. It has three retail centers in South Cotabato and a distribution outlet in Davao that employs a total of 105 full-time workers.

Approximately 90 percent of Kablon Farms' revenues come from domestic sales in supermarkets, retail shops, other food manufacturers or end-users and online sales, while 10 percent comes from exports.

Given strong demand overseas for Philippine fruits and flavors, Pantua said the firm was targeting increased exports of cacao and cacao-based products.

The extension of the GSP+ "opens opportunities for us to market a wider range of products," she added.

"The EU market seems particularly attracted to the distinctive flavor of single-origin Philippine cacao."

At the same time, she urged Philippine businesses to continue to avail of the GSP privileges and expand exports and market access to the EU.

Last year, the European Commission had proposed the rollover of the current GSP+ program for another four years, lifting concerns that the Philippines could lose its trade privileges due to its failure to address a number of concerns.

The EU grants trade preferences to developing countries under the GSP facility to help grow trade, reduce poverty and support sustainable development via three schemes: Standard GSP, GSP+ and Everything But Arms or duty-free access for all goods except arms and ammunition.

The Philippines is covered by the GSP+ program, which involves having to comply with 27 international conventions relating to human rights and good governance, among others.