Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual underscored the importance of pursuing an industry development-centric approach to export development during the 2022 National Export Congress.
Pascual said the Philippines saw a steady rise in total exports of goods and services in 2021 despite several setbacks due to COVID-19.
He encouraged exporters to leverage on existing capabilities and assets to allow the Philippines to open broader horizons and maximize opportunities for industry development.
“Industry development means addressing constraints to both scale and scope of production—particularly in innovation and value addition, human resource development, business environment, finance, and infrastructure. It means competing beyond pricing and amplifying the quality, value-addition, sustainability, and reliability of Philippine exports in the global market”, he said.
He said that by developing and expounding the country’s skills and capabilities, the country’s competitiveness in the global value chain would also be amplified. This is why the government is undertaking a cluster approach to developing and promoting export priorities, he said.
Among the initiatives of the DTI to improve exporters’ experience are the adoption of science, technology and innovation-driven industrialization strategy, which aims to attain a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable economy by 2028.
Pascual said that despite the contracting effects of the pandemic towards the export sector, more than 3,000 exporters managed to post growth in 2020 and 2021 despite the global trade slump
He said of the total, 403 exporters in 2020 managed to increase their export sales by more than $1 million compared to the previous year. This number almost doubled to 742 in 2021.
Pascual assured exporters that the DTI was ready to support the sector and aspiring exporters in their journey from product development to economic success
The DTI together with the Export Development Council and the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. organized the NEC on Dec. 7, 2022.