Dominguez urges Canberra to lift import restrictions on PH bananas

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III is urging Canberra to lift its longstanding restrictions on Philippine-grown bananas.

Dominguez, who was the agriculture secretary during former President Corazon Aquino’s term, said that Canberra has “overly stringent export requirements” for Philippine bananas, which barred the local growers to export their produce to Australia for over 20 years now.

Dominguez said local banana producers for over two decades have “sustained efforts” to comply with Canberra’s export requirements.

Dominguez raised the Philippines’ longstanding concern in his meeting with Australia Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who was in Manila last March 16 to 17 on an official visit.

“As former Minister of Agriculture, I will raise with you the issue of the banana imports. We have been working at that for 20 years, probably. And we have not been able to ship to you a single box of bananas,” Dominguez said in his meeting with Bishop.

Bishop replied by reiterating Australia’s standard response on the need for the Philippines to meet that country’s required risk management measures and offered Australia’s assistance in this area.

“The challenge, I guess with you and for us is for Philippine produce to be able to meet those conditions in order for exports to occur,” Bishop said. “We can continue to talk about… more assistance that we can provide to meet those requirements.”

Biosecurity Australia, the inspection and quarantine assessment arm of Australia’s Department of Agriculture, has long been imposing stringent phytosanitary and sanitary requirements on Philippine bananas, which has been barred from the Australian market since 1995.

These requirements include, among others, the need for Philippine banana exports to have eight leaves prior to harvest and the use of nonperforated bags for packing.

The Australian Banana Growers Council has also long been opposing banana imports from the Philippines.

Dominguez pointed out to Bishop that Philippine bananas, one of our country’s top food exports, are accepted and exported in many other countries.

“Japan accepts our bananas, China accepts our bananas, even the Middle East accepts our bananas,” Dominguez said.