Bridging the Market Divide

The Advocate of Philippine Fair Trade Inc. Experience

“ We envision sustainable Fair Trade

enterprises, an enlightened
consumer base and a growing
circle of mainstream businesses
adhering to and working towards
a responsible and equitable
society.”

- APFTI Mission Statement

APFTI: A History of Building Bridges
The Advocate of Philippine Fair Trade
started as an association of Fair Trade
practitioners in the country. Through the
years we have assisted small and
medium enterprises at various stages of
their growth and development.

APFTI has grown together with them.

Our strengths and expertise have
sharpened through the years … one step
at a time.

We are assisting enterprises in an

Integrated approach from Raw materials
sourcing, Product Development and
Design, building their capabilities
through empowerment trainings and
bridging markets through trade linkages
and facilitation.
Gaining Ground …towards developing a
Service Oriented Institution
We have gained ground in the delivery of
product development, empowerment
trainings, trade fair facilitations and
business consultancy services through
the years.

In the last 5 years we have assisted a total

number of 518 cottage, small and
medium enterprises. These enterprises
have moved into servicing local and
international mainstream markets.

The development of both Food and Crafts

enterprises are now being given equal
attention as we evolve into a full pledged
service institution.
Bridging
Producers and
Markets
Nationwide
To date APFTI has operations
in 13 of the 16 Regions in the
Philippines covering 36
provinces and 120 towns and
cities.

We connect resources, people

and events together to create
sustainable and responsible
enterprises … the possibilities
are endless.
In Shared Partnerships with our Cooperators:
Partners in Building Bridges
Through the continuous assistance of our
partner agencies APFTI has achieved a gamut
of landmarks on enterprise development in the
country.

For the past 5 years, in tripartite agreements

with DTI, LGUs and other stakeholders in the
regions, we have been instrumental in the
staging of almost 85 market and trade fair
events, both regional and international, in the
country. This generated approximately P292M
in sales for both our domestic and international
markets.
 The value-chain of a Handicraft Enterprise.
(Framework of a bridge towards the consumer)

Sourcing Materials Preparation and

and Product
Semi-processing of raw Development and
Harvesting materials for product Design
of Raw development
materials

Finishing
Techniques Packaging , Storage Marketing,
Processes and Warehousing Distribution and Customer
(Lamination/For Sales
ming/sewing)
 What goes into the bridge?
APFTI Programs in bridging the Market Divide
Technical Assistance Market and Trade Fair
Product Development and Design Facilitation
Booth Design and Visual Merchandising Market Awareness Tours
Producer-Buyer Matching and Market Trade Fair Participation
Information
Market Information
Technical Research and Publications
Web-Design and Desktop Publishing Advocacy and Networking
Colloquia and Conferences
Empowerment Trainings E-Bulletin
and Capability Building Fair Trade Audits
Product Development Courses – Food and Business Consultancy
Crafts
Marketing Courses
Productivity and Quality Management
Courses
Enterprise Development Courses
Technical Skills Trainings
 Fair Trade Principles

Creating opportunities for economically
disadvantaged producers

Transparency and accountability

Capacity-building

Fair price

Gender equity

Good working conditions

Protection of child rights

Environmental sustainability

Promotion of Fair Trade
APFTI’s Training
and Design Arms
for Product
Development:
Conduits to Success
Reaching the
World
Together with our trading
arm, the Filipinas Fair
Trade Ventures Circle
incorporated we
continuously build new
bridges so that the
producers we assist can
discover new areas to
explore and come home
with a promise of hope and
development for the people
they work with.
 FFTV:
Helping in bridging the gap.
AFPTI
Capacity Building Filipinas Fair Trade
through Fair Trade Ventures Circle
Incorporated
Empowerment
Trainings
Technical
Development Fair Trade Aligned

Trade Facilitation Supplier Base

Filipinas Fair Trade Ventures
Circle Incorporated

Was set-up in 2002 to complement the
services provided to micro and small
enterprises by the Advocate of Philippine
Fair Trade Inc.
 FFTV’s Vision

Improving our
grassroots producer’s
lives through Fair
Trade as we promote
the Philippines finest
crafts and food
products worldwide.
FFTV’s Mission

FFTV endeavors to
contribute to poverty
alleviation by addressing
the need of micro and
small enterprises for
market access. We provide
an alternative market
access for these
enterprises to exhibit their
products and explore the
gamut of possibilities for
trade.
 Who buys our products

Importers, wholesalers and retailers from
- Australia - Germany
- Thailand - France
- Mexico - Spain
- USA - Italy
- UK - The Netherlands

Fair Trade Organizations

Ten Thousand Villages - USA
Oxfam Trading – Australia
Commercio Alternativo – Italy

Local
Rustan’s Commecial Corporation
Echo Store
BPI Asset Management
Hotel Intercontinental
Manila FAME Oct 2002
Manila FAME April 2003
Manila FAME Oct 2003
Bangkok Gifts Fair 03
Ambiente 2004
Manila FAME April 2004
Manila FAME Oct 2004
INDEX FAIR 2004
Ambiente 2005
Manila FAME April 2005
Manila FAME Oct 2005
Ambiente 2006
Manila FAME April 2006
Manila FAME October 2006
Ambiente 2007
Manila FAME April 2007
Hong Kong July 2007
Catalogue
Web Site : www.fftv.ph
 Market Distribution
2007 - 2008

Local
28%

Europe
North America 61%
9%
Asia
2%
 Market Distribution
2008 - 2009
Local
25%

Europe
41%

North America
11%

Asia
23%
Issues and challenges: Suppliers

Production capacity

Product quality

Communication facilities

Banking facilities

Financing

Limited skills

Pricing

Source of raw materials

Expensive product development process

Packaging-source of appropriate packaging materials
 International buyers

Demand for cheap products

Competition with other Asian countries

Buyers perception that Phil. handicrafts are
expensive

Exchange rate fluctuations

Decreased demand due to financial crisis

Buyers market

Delayed payment

Unreliable buyers
 …Local buyers

Competition among exporters tapping the
market

Filipino attitude on imported product

Concept of fair trade not yet prevalent

Small volume buyer

Delayed payment terms
 Possible solutions

http//.www.apfti.org.ph