DTI eyes new products for next Sinulog fair
Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale (2nd from left) checks out export products together with DTI regional director Asteria Caberte (4th from left) and other officials during the Sinulog Exhibit in SM City Cebu. (CEBU.GOV.PH)
As early as now, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has begun developing new products to introduce in next year’s Sinulog Trade Fair.
“We are set on creating a new variety of products. DTI this year will focus on product design, development and packaging,” said Elias Tecson, the business development chief of DTI in Central Visayas.
He said at least two “promising” products have been identified for next year’s trade fair: the “squash noodles,” a healthier take on the conventional pre-packaged noodles now in the market; and seaweed food product.
He said the DTI would also look into existing products that would need help to become competitive and profitable.
The Sinulog Trade Fair 2016 held at SM City Cebu last January raked in a total of P7.2 million, which was about 22 percent higher than the P5.6 million in sales recorded during the same period in 2015.
Some 62 exhibitors displayed a wide variety of products, ranging from processed food, Cebuano delicacies, household decors, health and wellness products, gifts and toys, souvenir items, and wearable items.
Several new players were also noted, including food producers from Dalaguete, who brought with them a display of the town’s delicacies.
Of the products, an estimated 41 percent of the generated sales were from the wearable sector, which comprised of bags and items like fashion accessories, Tecson said.
Majority of the buyers were also from the local market and not tourists, he added.
He said that while a portion of the sales could be attributed to Cebu’s hosting of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) from January 24 to 31, the main bulk was generated from January 8-18 during the Sinulog Festival.
“Majority of the delegates just bought from the bazaar and fair organized by the IEC committee in the IEC pavilion,” Tecson noted.
Anna Conejero, who helped organize the IEC trade fair, said most of the 144 exhibitors who displayed products during the week-long congress left with their products sold out.
“It went very well. A lot of (the exhibitors) sold out (their products), especially the shirts and souvenirs,” she said.
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