JEDDAH: Six Philippine companies, part of a delegation that visited Saudi Arabia, explored investment and commercial opportunities in the local market, focusing on the food industry and personal care products sectors, according to Vince Liwanag, commercial attache at the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, who spoke to Al-Eqtisadiah.
These companies own major manufacturing facilities in the Philippines and are already exporting their products to the Saudi market.
In this context, the commercial attache explained that one of the companies specializing in personal care products is already present in the Kingdom through its branches in Riyadh and Dammam.
Philippine exports hit $150m
The commercial attache confirmed that Philippine companies have plans to expand in the Saudi market by seeking partnerships with major retail companies in the Kingdom such as Panda and Danube, due to the growing demand for Philippine products.
He indicated that a number of Philippine companies are already investing in the Saudi market, most notably Jollibee and Chowking, which specialize in the food sector, in addition to EEI Corp., a company operating in the contracting sector in the city of Dammam.
Philippine exports to Saudi Arabia for all products during 2025 amounted to approximately $150 million, while the Philippines’ imports from the Kingdom during the same year reached $1.77 billion, according to the commercial attache.
Banana imports reach $62m
These exports included Philippine agricultural products to Saudi Arabia in 2025 valued at approximately $85.8 million. In contrast, the value of the Philippines’ imports of Saudi agricultural products reached about $1.7 million.
The commercial attache noted that Saudi Arabia imported approximately 108,000 tonnes of Philippine bananas in 2025, with an estimated value of around $62.4 million.
Food sector makes up 17% of economy
The commercial attache highlighted that total Philippine global food exports from January to November 2025 amounted to $7.78 billion.
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing account for approximately 9 percent of the Philippine economy, while the food and beverage industry contributes another 8 percent. Together, the food and beverage industries account for 17 percent of the Philippine economy, with nearly a quarter of Filipinos working in the agricultural sector.
Key Philippine exports of agricultural and food products include crude coconut oil, fresh or dried bananas, coconut oil and its derivatives, fresh or dried pineapples, and desiccated coconut.
The commercial attache added that from January to November 2025, crude coconut oil topped Philippine global exports at a value of $1.52 billion, followed by fresh or dried bananas at $1.45 billion, and then coconut oil and its derivatives at $1.10 billion.
