The country’s exporters have generated more than $1.5 billion in export sales through various efforts led by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) to promote Philippine products and services — particularly from micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) — to the global market, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recently reported.

According to the DTI, its export promotion arm, CITEM, has supported over 2,000 export-ready companies through cohesive projects and programs, resulting in $1.534 billion in reported export sales.

The DTI-attached agency also facilitated over 32,000 trade inquiries from more than 6,000 local and international buyers worldwide. Additionally, its lead generation websites successfully onboarded 1,102 companies, attracting over 330,000 unique users and generating nearly one million unique page views.

In just a few months after its launch, Taglay Pinoy, a content creation program for select beneficiaries in home, fashion, and lifestyle, has digitally onboarded 61 local MSMEs from Marikina, Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Leyte, and Cavite.

Designed to enhance the market reach and competitiveness of local MSMEs, Taglay Pinoy will continue next year, expanding to cover more industries such as the local food scene and the creative industries.

Further, in 2024, CITEM provided export market access to Philippine companies through its signature events and participation in select overseas trade fairs.

CITEM's flagship events

As the country’s export promotion authority, CITEM organized three international signature events in physical format last year, namely the International Food Exhibition Philippines, CREATEPhilippines X MIPAM, and Manila FAME.

With CITEM at the helm and in collaboration with partners from both the public and private sectors, the Philippines gained increased exposure in the global export arena.

These included Maison & Objet in Paris, France; Ambiente in Frankfurt, Germany; Gulfood in Dubai, UAE; the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) Food Expo Pro; CentreStage HK in Hong Kong, China; Tokyo International Gift Show and FINOPINAS in Tokyo, Japan; the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; the China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) in Nanning, China; Salon International de l'Alimentation (SIAL) International Food Show in Paris, France; and the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, China.

“CITEM continues to empower MSMEs by ensuring seamless access to global markets through the agency’s online platforms, enabling them to leverage digital promotion, content marketing, and business lead generation. Digital trade community platforms maintained by the agency include fameplus.com, ifexconnect.com, createphilippines.com, and sustainability.ph,” the DTI said.