FILIPINO exporters are urged by Canadian Chamber to see geographical segments of Canada as potential markets instead of Canada as a whole especially for export of fresh produce.
During the Philippines-Canada Trade Forum at the Marco Polo Hotel last Thursday, October 26, Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines president Julian Payne said exporters should focus more on the selling of fresh produce in the key cities of their country first.
“Just on the issue of fresh produce, where time is the essence of getting it there, you probably shouldn’t think of Canada as a market. You’re not gonna sell your pineapples to the people of the North Pole because it’ll never get there. But you should get at the cities. Toronto, a few people know, is the fourth largest city in Canada and the US. Toronto is a market. And you can get there in 24 hours from Davao. Vancouver is a market. After that, the Canadian cities get smaller. You need not only to segment your products, you need to segment the geographical market in Canada as well,” Payne said.
As for her part, Senior Trade Commissioner of the Embassy of Canada Crista McInnis said she plans to address any existing market issues regarding export of fresh produce from Philippines to Canada such as bananas and pineapples.
She plans to look into sanitary reasons and licensing and permitting requirements that might be hindering fresh produce exports to their country.
Other concerns that might arise in the process would include freight shipping, timelines, tariff, and price points as well.