The agribusiness industry is expanding quickly, fueled by growing consumer demand for exotic products and technological developments in marketing and processing. International trade and marketing of agrifood products are diverse, complex operations that many new companies and countries are striving to enter. Such trade is important for importing countries to ensure national food security, while exporting countries view it as a source of foreign exchange. Although international agrifood trade has many challenges for Asia-Pacific countries, it also has huge potential to access international markets.

To enhance the knowledge and understanding of senior policymakers and planners, heads of agribusiness and food-industry enterprises, representatives of enterprise associations, and academics of emerging trends in international agrifood trade, the changing dynamics of global markets and policies, and key success factors in agriproduct import and export, the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) along with the Development Academy of the Philippines organized a workshop on International Marketing of Agrifood Products in Manila, 6–9 November 2018.

The workshop, attended by 24 participants from 12 APO member countries, focused on digital transformation of international trade and the use of IT and the Internet of Things for food traceability, quality assurance, risk reduction, and management strategies in supply chains.

Five resource persons from the Republic of China, Hong Kong, India, the Philippines, and Singapore conducted the workshop and shared insights on policies, agreements, and regulations affecting international trade and the impact of ASEAN integration. They also presented successful case studies of smart global food value chains and models for scaling up agribusinesses from startups to export-oriented enterprises. Participants had the opportunity to visit Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm at Angat and the Fisher Farms Inc. plant site at Pulilan in Bulacan.

Photo: Development Academy of the Philippines