Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

DUBAI: As many as 25 halal certified food exporters from the Philippines transacted $83.2 million worth of sales from 1,163 buyers at ‘Gulf Food Hotel and Equipment Exhibition and Salon Culinaire (Gulfood)’ held from February 17 to 21, 2019 at Dubai World Trade Centre.

“Our country’s tropical selections have once again delighted the palate of buyers across the globe under the ‘Food Philippines’ pavilion at Gulfood,” said Department of Trade and Industry-Centre for International Trade and Expositions and Missions (DTI-Citem) Executive Director Pauline Suaco-Juan.

Top sellers were the dried versions of herring and anchovies, fruit preserves, nuts, condiments, fresh bananas, tamarind mix and oyster sauce, canned and a variety of frozen fish such as sardines and tuna, as well as canned fruits and vegetables.

“Participating in this five-day event is strategic for us to sustain and strengthen the promotion of Philippine food products in the Middle East and North Africa, particularly among the GCC,” Suaco-Juan added.

Quoting the latest report of the market research and consulting firm Hexa Research, she said: “The global halal food market size is predicted to reach $2.55 trillion by 2024 driven by the rising demand for the consumption of halal meat.”

Interviewed ahead of the event on Feb. 14 and from the UAE edition of the Feb. 6 to 19, Philippine Outbound Business Matching Mission to Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam), Kuwait (Kuwait City), and the UAE (Dubai), DTI-Special Concerns Undersecretary Abdulgani Macatoman said: “We aim to widen our global participation and become a respectable player of halal products in the world, valued at $3.1 trillion.”