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Monday, November 14, 2005
Fresh and processed foods show strong potential in Sweden
PHILIPPINE exporters and manufacturers of fresh and processed foods can cash in on Sweden's 99 percent dependence on imported coffee, tea, citrus fruits, fish and desiccated coconut as food ingredient for biscuits.
Statistics show that these products have the highest imports share in Sweden's trade statistics. However, only 44% of total imports from the Philippines was accounted for by these products.
Sweden also imports Swedish-designed garments, furniture and other high-end handicrafts from Asean countries.
These were some of the highlights of a seminar where Swedish market experts talked about Sweden as a potential Philippine market and a trading partner. In one of these presentations, Christina Af Klint, Senior Trade Advisor, Swedish Import Council said that the Philippines has been supplying good products in the major markets of Europe like Germany and Italy where Sweden gets its imports.
"If the Philippines will be able to penetrate Sweden - a small but strong market - then it will be easier for them to penetrate the whole Western Europe since Sweden, which is also a member of the European Union (EU), is among the countries exporting consumer and industrial products to the countries in the region, particularly the EU member-countries", she added.
The possibility of export success in Sweden was validated by Mediatrix Villanueva, President, Shelmed Cottage Treasures, an exporter of basket products, from whom Sweden imported hundreds of containers of handicrafts and distributed them to other countries in the western part of Europe. "This is proof that Philippine products can be competitive in the whole Western Europe though Sweden," she said.
Sweden exports products that come from China and other Asean countries mostly to the EU. It however imports some products for local consumption from Germany, which also sources them from other Asean countries.
Ms Klint however stressed that exporters to Sweden should be professional and familiar with the Swedish way of doing business to be able to carve a niche in Sweden. "If exporters want to successfully establish long-term business relationships with the Swedish, they must be very professional, reliable, trustworthy, aggressive, consistent and committed to doing their business", Christina Af Klint warns. Product quality and services are also of importance to them.
The seminar was organized by the Swedish Federation of Trade through the Embassy of Sweden, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc (Philexport) and other business support groups. It aimed to promote Sweden as a market for Philippine exports and encourage Philippine exporters to consider Sweden as a gateway to Western European market. This is already the second seminar of the same topic conducted since early last year.
(November 14, 2005 issue)
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