Philippine delegation due next month

Philippine Consul General in Jeddah Uriel Norman Garibay said yesterday that a trade delegation representing 17 companies in the food industry will visit Saudi Arabia from March 1 to 7 to promote trade between the two countries. “The aim of the mission is to sell food products to Saudi companies as part of the Philippine government's efforts to further strengthen bilateral trade,” Garibay told Arab News.
The delegation will be headed by Paisal Abdullah, trade service officer, and Grace L. Demdam, outbound business coordinator for the Middle East at the Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines.
Garibay said that there’s much room for improvement as far as trade between the two countries is concerned, adding that the Kingdom ranked ninth as Philippine trade partner last year.
Trade figures show that during the nine-month period from January to September 2012, the total trade volume touched SR 10.047 million Philippine imports totaled SR 9.813 million. In Jeddah, the delegation will have one-on-one business meetings with local businessmen.
The team will also visit Riyadh on March 3. The Philippine Embassy under Ambassador Ezzedin H. Tago will also arrange a one-on-one meeting with Saudi counterparts at the Riyadh Palace Hotel. On March 4, the delegation will proceed to Alkhobar to meet local businessmen at the Asharqia Chamber of Commerce and Industry.