The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through the Bureau of Market Development, Promotions, and OTOP (BMDPO), continues to strengthen domestic market linkages through Buyers Day 2026: Flavors and Connections, a continuing initiative designed to enhance business-to-business (B2B) engagement across its national trade fairs.

“At the core of the Bagong Pilipinas agenda is a whole-of-government approach to support our enterprises and drive economic growth,” said DTI Secretary Cristina A. Roque. “Through our market linkage programs, we are ensuring that businesses are better connected, better supported, and better positioned to grow.”

Following its initial rollout in February ahead of the National Trade Fair, Buyers Day has evolved into an engagement platform that fosters dialogue and alignment between institutional buyers and the DTI. Positioned as a pre-event to major DTI trade fairs, the session provides a more relaxed, buyer-focused environment for networking, consultation, and early-stage sourcing discussions.

Rather than a traditional marketplace, Buyers Day serves as a strategic touchpoint where buyers can share their sourcing requirements and better understand how DTI’s programs can support their needs. These insights enable more targeted matching with MSMEs during and after trade fairs.

The initiative forms part of DTI’s broader market linkage strategy, which is embedded across its trade fair platforms. During each fair, the Business Connect Lounge provides guided assistance and curated supplier recommendations based on buyer profiles, helping facilitate more efficient sourcing and engagement. Beyond the fairs, regional buying missions extend opportunities for sourcing and validation at the production level.

“These platforms are designed not just for product discovery, but for building strategic and long-term partnerships with suppliers who are ready to meet market demands,” said Assistant Secretary Nylah Rizza Bautista. “Because at the end of the day, you don’t just buy local—you build local. And when MSMEs grow, the whole economy moves.”

As global supply chains continue to face pressures from rising logistics costs and external disruptions, DTI is advancing more reliable domestic sourcing by strengthening coordination between buyers and local producers through structured, government-led facilitation.

These B2B initiatives reinforce DTI’s role as a connector and enabler, ensuring that buyer requirements are clearly understood and translated into meaningful business opportunities.

Interested buyers, partners, and enterprises are encouraged to engage with DTI’s market linkage programs by reaching out to the BMDPO (email: bmdpo@dti.gov.ph)  for more information and participation opportunities.

DTI Sec. Cristina Roque led the recent Buyers Day 2026: Flavors and Connections event to strengthen buyer engagement as part of the lead-up to the 2026 DTI-Bagong Pilipinas National Food Fair.