Sunday, December 21, 2008 Rising global demand for herbal products
GROWING interest in well-being and good health has sparked a rising demand for Philippine-made organic, natural and herbal products worldwide, according to Export Development Council (EDC) executive director Senen Perlada.
The EDC director said there is a growing consciousness all over the world for healthy living, good diet and long life.
"This is where our various organic, natural and herbal products come to the picture. We have all these quality products in huge quantities to supply this rising global demand," Perlada said.
Last year's country merchandise exports show organic, natural and herbal products racking up a total value of 67 million US dollars, according to Perlada, significant enough to reflect in the total export performance of the Philippines.
Perlada said most organic and herbal products include herbal-based food supplements like pills and tablets, herbal vitamins, papaya-based soap, virgin oil, herbal facial treatments, organically grown fruits and foods, natural cosmetics, and many other similar products.
"Think of the millions of Filipino overseas workers looking for products they've been using for years. Think of the millions of foreign buyers who are starting to be more health-conscious. This is a huge market we have hardly tapped," Perlada said.
In order for the country to tap this market, according to Perlada, more support for research and development should provided, groundwork for a national certification system for organic products should be prepared and penetration of existing markets should be deepened and emerging markets like the US, Italy, South Africa and Arab countries should be developed.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Merly Cruz also cited the need to set into motion value chains in every region to boost mass production of raw materials for organic, natural and herbal products.
"There's so much we can do to help the growth of this new industry. We have the advantage of raw materials and technology to produce these products in all regions," Cruz said.
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