Guimaras mangoes ripe for exports to EU

A delegation from the European Union met with local government officials in Western Visayas to boost trade between the Philippines and EU.

For the first time, EU Ambassador Franz Jessen together with the Romanian Chargé d’Affaires, a. i. Mihai Sion and German Deputy Ambassador Michael Hasper participated in Sikaran as a pre- Earth Day advocacy initiative to fight climate change and increase access of Guimaras mangoes to international markets.

The Philippines is expected to boost its exports of mangoes, especially those from Guimaras Islands. through the protection of its products of regional origin.

The EU has reiterated its call for the Philippines to adopt the Geographical Indications ( GI) scheme, a type of intellectual prop- erty right used to identify a product originating in the territory of a particular country or region or locally where its quality, reputation or other characteristic is linked to its geographical origin.

At present, the Guimaras mango producers and processors continue to work on the code of practice to define the rules and procedures for using the GI.

The meeting with the mango industry stakeholders is in line with the Trade Related Technical Assistance Programme 3, which seeks to boost the competitiveness of specific Philippine products in the global markets.

The TRTA-3 has mobilized experts to support the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPh) in developing, promoting and protecting the “Guimaras mango” as a GI.

The GI serves as a label that characterizes the mangoes as both originating in Guimaras as well as reputedly fresh and sweet.

The protection of GI matters economically and culturally.

They can create value for local communities through products that are deeply rooted in tradition, culture and geography. They support rural development and promote new job opportunities in production, processing and other related services.

Lydia Guevarra, TRTA 3 Imprest administrator, said: “We look forward to seeing the Guimaras mango sector benefit from the increased marketability and improved access to international markets that the GI will bring in. The opportunities presented by EU Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus ( GSP+) will further enable the Guimaras mangoes to contribute more to the growth of the local economy and the generation of jobs in the regions.”

The EU recently committed to lower carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. This binding commitment forms part of the EU package implemented in the framework of the first-ever universal global climate deal which 195 nations, including the EU and the Philippines, adopted at the Paris Conference last December 2015.

In the Philippines, the EU has been supporting various energy efficiency actions under the SWITCH Project.

Technical advice was provided to support the Philippines National Roadmap for Energy Efficiency which aims to generate 30 percent energy savings in the Philippines by 2030 compared to the business as usual scenario.

Targeted energy conservation measures for the private sector were also funded by the EU.

These include tourism establishments operating in remote areas where electricity is less reliable and costly.