DA crafts export plan to Russia

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is crafting an export strategy for local products to Russia.

In a statement, the DA said its undersecretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat held a meeting with agricultural exporters to map out a strategy for the Russian market.

Philippine Ambassador to Russia Carlos Soretta attributed the optimism to the preference of Russian consumers for sweet products.

“They like sweets,” Soretta said. “(The potential for) our products in the Russian market are getting bigger.”

Banana chips and muscovado sugar are some of the sweet products the Philippines currently exports to Russia.

Puyat said she received instructions from Piñol, that “there must be progress” in the export of agricultural goods to Russia before President Duterte’s visit to Moscow in May.

In line with improving the export of products to Russia, Sorreta urged both DA officials and local exporters to focus more on marketing its products to Russia.

Puyat, who is in charge of administration, agribusiness and marketing, and regional engagement echoed Sorreta’s sentiment, as she suggested consolidating first the interested exporters before starting to ship products to Russia.

“We should also set aside a group of products for promo materials during the trip and expo,” Puyat said.

The DA noted that assistant secretary for agribusiness Leandro Gazmin would head a group flying to Moscow soon to learn more about the Russian market.

Soretta also advised exporters to improve the packaging, pricing and promotion of their goods in order to compete with products from other countries.

“We need to introduce our products to them. Packaging is really important. It is easier to market if you include that you’re certified exporters to these three countries,” Soretta said.