The Philippines' high-value crops were highlighted during the third year of the Philippine Food Festival in Brussels, Belgium.
Some of the products that were showcased during the festival are calamansi, mangoes, mango purée, coconut products, dragon fruit, mango and coconut chews, and some of the emerging crops like ube, pili nuts and saba (banana).
Twenty food kiosks were set up at the Centre Communautaire de Joli Bois this year, where Asian stores presented the high-value crops that the country exports and distributed around Europe.
"Businesses in Belgium also took notice of the unique taste and quality of the champion and emerging agri commodities, and expressed interest in buying and selling of Philippine products," the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.
Belgium is a diverse society, which is the reason why it is ideal for being a very good test market.
"Brussels is an important cosmopolitan cell for testing new products due to the presence of the European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and other international organizations. The country is also bordered by the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany and France," the DA added.
The food fest, also known as the Manyaman Food Festival, started in 2018, and the organizers are confident that the Filipino food products will become a hit to the market of Europe.
The Philippine Food Festival aims to spread the uniqueness and variety of the food products the country has, it also serves as a venue where old and new food products from the Philippines are introduced and promoted which enables agribusinesses to build networks globally.
Source: Manila Times