The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) – Stockholm and Export Marketing Bureau recently organized an Outbound Business Matching Mission (OBMM) in Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen on 29 September to 6 October 2017.

The mission aimed to familiarize the delegates from the Philippines with the international market, especially in the Scandinavia region. Led by Ms. Rose Marie Castillo, Chief of Food and Agri-Marine Division of EMB, the delegation was comprised of ten (10) Philippine micro, small, and medium-sized (MSME) exporters that are part of the Regional Interactive Platform for Philippine Exporters (RIPPLES) program of EMB. The program helps businesses to become sustainable exporters. In Europe, one of the identified regions with potential market for the country’s food products, especially ethnic, fresh, processed and organic food, is Scandinavia.

The visit to Scandinavia aims to increase exports by approximately $1.3 million. The trade value is expected to grow exponentially, specifically for the Philippines and Norway, which is part of the European Free Trade Area, when the PH-EFTA Free Trade Agreement enters into force in 2018.

In photo: (1st row seated from left to right) – Ms. Jocelyn Blanco, Region V Director; Ms. Mary Borromeo Hedfors, Trade and Investment Promotions Officer of PTIC-Stockholm; Mr. Jan Lundgren, CEO of COOP Trading; Ms. Rose Marie Castillo, EMB Agrimarine Division Chief. (3rd row) – Mr. Poul Verner Jensen (2nd from left) and Mr. Bertram Andersen (3rd from left), Strategic Buyers of COOP; Mr. Juan Paolo Alix, Vice-Consul, Philippine Embassy in Oslo, Norway (far right).