By Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) hopes to rake in $110 million in export deals as it assisted 23 Filipino companies in showcasing the best of Philippine halal food products at a Dubai fair. The DTI Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (DTI-CITEM) in partnership with Philippine Trade and Investment Center Dubai (PTIC-Dubai) put up the FoodPhilippines country pavilion at the 23rd edition of Gulfood or the Gulf Food Hotel and Equipment Exhibition and Salon Culinaire at Sheikh Rashid Hall in the Dubai World Trade Center, United Arab Emirates (UAE) happening on 18 to 21 February, 2018. With FoodPhilippines’ participation in the Gulfood 2018, DTI-CITEM is looking to rake in at least $110-million export deals. The Philippine delegation is showcasing the country’s top halal-certified, healthy and organic products, including fruits and vegetables, seafood and marine products, ethnic and gourmet selections, and other functional food and beverage products. Known as the world’s biggest food and hospitality trade event, Gulfood is a one-stop platform for the latest tastes, trends and innovation in the international food industry. In 2017, the four-day event was participated in by around 5,000 companies and was attended by 97,000 trade buyers all over the world. Locals, visitors, and trade buyers from Muslim-dominated nations such as the Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain that are all part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are expected to visit the said trade event. Saudi Arabia remains the largest food consuming GCC nation due to its large population base. The fastest growth rate for food consumption, however, is seen in Qatar and UAE with an annual growth of about 5.5 and 4.8 percent, respectively. In addition, UAE alone has a market outreach to about 1.5 billion people living in the Middle East, CIS, Central Asia, Africa and other Asian regions — making it the world’s third top re-export center. Among the participating companies to the said event are: Asia Brewery Incorporated, Brandexports Philippines, Inc., Celebes Coconut Corp., Century Pacific Food, Inc., Gem Foods International Inc., Krystle Exports Phil. Inc, Magic Melt Foods, Inc., Mama Sita’s (Sandpiper Spices and Condiments Corporation), Marikina Food Corporation, Market Reach International Resources, Mega Global Corporation, and Miesto International Foods Corporation. Other exhibitors include Millennium Specialty Coco Products, Inc., Philippine Grocers Food Exports, Inc, Pixcel Transglobal Foods Incorporated, Profood International Corporation, Q-Phil Products International, Roxas Sigma Agriventures, Inc., Sagrex Foods Inc., San Miguel Purefoods, Inc., Seatrade Canning Corporation, SL Agritech Corporation, and Super Q.