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Don’t be surprised to see banana chips, coconut water and other coco by-products, dried sea cucumber, Alamid coffee, fresh mangoes, fresh bananas, rice, local Fruit wines and other agricultural products from the Philippines being displayed in the biggest agri-products showroom and trading center in Shanghai.
Exporting to a big market as China is not easy especially if you are a first time exporter. If you are not familiar with this market, you may have to hurdle many factors like knowing the language, the laws that affects your exports, bilateral trade agreements and the right connection to promote your products.
But many business advisors will tell you that you have options .You may enter this market in many ways but the risks and the challenges can make someone surrender immediately. One can actually do trading in five different ways namely – you can choose an agent or a local distributor, you can set up a representative office (which will be an expensive option), create a whole foreign owned enterprise or establish a joint venture.
The City Government of Shanghai in their efforts to make start up entrepreneurs hurdle the tedious process of starting a business in China and develop international food trading to attract other countries to participate in this business, has established the biggest Trading Center in the whole of China. The Center is known as – Shanghai Xijao Agro-Products Trading Center or more popularly referred to as Xijao International, is a “modern agro-product wholesale market of Shanghai.”
Covering an area of 1,658 mu (approximately 110 hectares) with a total floor area of 450,000 square meters, the Center looks like a huge exhibition center that will not only display the products of thousands of exporters from around the world but is a venue to expose it to both local and international buyers.
The Center , once you get connected with them and subscribe to their services, will help you with your Market Entry, provide assistance for the approval of your products with China Customs and other Chinese agencies that requires approval before your product is made available in the market, takes care of the Human Resource in china and assures you of the payments for your products.
To get to know more about this facility, you can call Xijaos Master Agent in the Philippines at Xijao International Philippines at 632-637-3821.They will help you with Customs requirements, coordination with Philexport Confederation and expose your products not only to Chinese businessmen but also to other countries of the world.
Obviously, this project is one step towards anticipating and resolving food security issues in the second biggest economy of the world. With a 1.3Billion people to feed, it is only proper that China focuses on their food security issue and get help from countries with food to spare, help them bring in their produce, and allow them to earn decent profits from their exports.
Shanghai alone has a population of 25 million. Opportunities like this should be explored by our entrepreneurs and help the country earn foreign currencies that we badly need.--- TEODORO P. ESTACIO/Manila Bulletin
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