TRADE FAIR. Face masks made of handwoven (hablon) materials are among the products on display at the Artesanias de Iloilo trade fair at the SM City that culminated on Wednesday (Dec. 1, 2021). As of November 29, Trade and Industry Iloilo director Felisa Judith L. Degala said the trade fair has already generated over PHP1.3 million in sales. (Photo courtesy of DTI Iloilo FB page)
ILOILO CITY – Consumers are encouraged to prefer locally-produced products over imported ones when buying gifts this holiday season to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) recover from the pandemic.
“If we patronize the products of other countries, why don’t we patronize our own local products thereby helping our local entrepreneurs and our local economy,” said Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Iloilo director Felisa Judith L. Degala, in an interview Wednesday.
She said before the products are displayed during trade fairs, they undergo intensive product development on taste, quality, shelf-life, packaging, and labeling.
"So our approach is holistic in terms of developing their products so their products will become competitive," Degala added.
Aside from quality control, business owners whose capital was affected due to the pandemic can also avail of loans from the Small Business Corporation.
DTI organized a five-day trade fair dubbed Artesanias de Iloilo at the SM City that ended on Wednesday.
As of November 29, the event that kicked off on November 27 with 66 participating local exhibitors from bamboo, coconut, cacao, coffee, wearables and housewares, and processed food clusters, was able to generate over PHP1.3 million, she said.
A similar event was also held in the five districts of Iloilo province that provided an avenue for 176 exhibitors to market their products.
“The main objective of the trade fair is for our local MSMEs to promote their products in the local market and then at the same time expose them on how to conduct transactions with consumers, and fellow businesses,” Degala said.
The Artesanias de Iloilo was first held in 2019 and was put on hold last year due to restrictions amid the health pandemic.
Degala hoped that MSMEs would be able to continuously recover even as she reminded them to always adhere to minimum public standards as their sector will be among those that could benefit once the economy bounces back. (PNA)
