PH seeks more access of fruit exports to Japan, Australia, South Korea
The Philippines has pushed for greater market access for its tropical fruit exports – pineapple, bananas and mangoes – to Japan, Australia and South Korea.
Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said he raised this market access issue during his bilateral meetings with his counterparts from these three partner countries at the sidelines of the five-day 49th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and Related Meetings here.
The Philippines is the world’s fourth largest banana exporting country and third top exporter of pineapple. It is also among the top ten mango exporter.
For Japan, the Philippines has been pressed for better market access of these tropical fruits because of the inferior deal the country has gotten in the Philippines-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (PJEPAP), which was forged in 2009.
DTI Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo said that this will be further discussed at the 6th Joint Committee meeting for the general review of the PhilippinesJapan Economic Partnership Agreement (PJEPA).
Rodolfo noted that other bilateral FTA partners of Japan, such as Peru and other ASEAN countries, have gotten a better deal in its bilateral FTAs for their tropical fruit exports to the Japanese market.
The country’s agriculture products, which are either slapped with seasonal tariff and quotas. These agriculture products include bananas, pineapple, yakitori, tuna, skipjack, among others.
“We are batting for the lifting of the tariff and quota,” Rodolfo said noting that the Philippines got an “inferior” treatment.
For instance, Philippine bananas are governed with a seasonal tariff which means that tariff fluctuates depending on the season. If it is harvest season for bananas in Japan, the tariff for Philippine bananas goes higher and, lower if it is off season. The Philippines accounts for 90 percent of total banana supply to Japan. Export of pineapple to Japan is governed by quota or volume.
Similarly, the Philippines also raised more access of its tropical fruits exports to Australia, who also told the Philippines that all the country has to do is pass the import risk assessment.
Australia, however, has its own supply of these fruits, too.
For Korea, Lopez also said there is actually an ongoing SPS (sanitary and phyto-sanitary) accreditation being implemented to ensure that the country’s tropical fruits can access Korea market.