DTI pushes for more non-electronics exports

by Louella Desiderio (The Philippine Star) – Dec 26, 2018

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is pushing for more non-electronics exports for next year to diversify the country’s merchandise shipments and help promote development in the countryside.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the country still relies on electronics products for its merchandise exports.

While electronics exports are growing, he said there is a need to diversify the country’s merchandise exports.

“We have to diversify to more non-electronics. We want agri-based products to benefit countryside development, countryside exporters,” he said.

Electronic products remain to be the country’s top exports, accounting for 53.2 percent of the total exports revenue of $6.11 billion in October.

Revenues from exports of electronics products reached $3.25 billion in October, up 0.6 percent from $3.23 billion in the same month last year.

From January to October, electronics exports went up 5.2 percent year-on-year to $31.71 billion.

Apart from agri-based exports, Lopez said the government is also pushing for other exports such as automotive parts and aerospace parts.

He said the DTI also wants to revive the garments sector.

“We’re reviving garments, hopefully bringing in more textile operators. We want more design-oriented, more higher value exports,” he said.

DTI-Export Marketing Bureau director Senen Perlada said merchandise exports would either match last year’s or grow by up to three percent this year.

The country’s merchandise exports were valued at $68.7 billion last year, up 20 percent from 2016.

As of the end of October, Philippine merchandise exports were slightly down to $57.07 billion from $57.75 billion in the same period last year.