THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Central Luzon is set to continue holding trade fairs to support the micro small and medium enterprises in Central Luzon in generating sales and providing income and employment in the countryside.
Newly-installed DTI-Central Luzon Director Leonila Baluyut said that for 2021, the regional and seven provincial offices of DTI are set to conduct and/or participate in at least 19 trade fairs, including the much-anticipated 23rd run of the Likha ng Central Luzon Trade Fair.
Among these trade exhibits are four national and international trade fairs that include the National Trade Fair Digital Mall, the Manila Fame, the Virtual National Trade Fair and the 13th run of the International Food Exhibition (Ifex)-NXTFoodasia.
The said trade fairs are organized by the DTI's Bureau of Domestic Trade and Promotion (BDTP) and the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions in cooperation with the DTI Regional Operations Group.
Baluyut noted that the DTI continues to hold many trade fairs online and, where possible, physically to ensure that the MSMEs continue to earn and sustain their operations and produce quality products.
She also noted that despite the quarantine restrictions and pandemic fears last year, MSMEs from Central Luzon who participated in trade fairs in 2020 were able to generate significant sales and sell their products and even expanding their markets.
She added that in 2020, DTI-Central Luzon assisted 1,364 Central Luzon MSMEs in participating in 98 local, national and international trade fairs, which generated total sales of P70,317,033.
To prepare MSMEs in the new normal course of transacting, DTI is capacitating MSMEs to do e-commerce by training and linking them to popular online selling platforms.
The agency is also training Central Luzon MSMEs on how to maximize use of technology and online platforms not only to advertise and sell their products but also learn the mechanics of online payments.
For MSMEs interested in participating in trade fairs, the DTI suggests approaching business counselors or DTI account officers in Negosyo Centers or DTI provincial offices near their localities to help them register for upcoming trade fairs.