The Department of Agriculture (DA) will facilitate the entry of Philippine bananas into the Australian market, which has been closed to Filipino exporters for more than two decades. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said he would be willing to broker a meeting between Filipino banana exporters belonging to the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) and Australian officials.
“[The possible reopening of the Australian market] is a welcome development for us and for me. I find it unfair that the Philippines buys beef and other meat products from Australia, but local products could not enter their market,” Piñol told reporters in an interview on Monday.
The PBGEA has reportedly signified anew its interest to export bananas to Australia after Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely said Canberra is willing to
cooperate with exporters.
PBGEA Executive Director Stephen Antig said he would write a letter to Piñol to request the DA to set up a meeting between his group and the Australian embassy in the Philippines.
However, the DA chief said he has yet to receive the letter from the PBGEA. During a BusinessMirror Coffee Club forum last month, Gorely said Canberra is willing to assist exporters comply with its animal health and plant regulations so they can again access the Australian market.
Gorely added that no Philippine exporter has approached Canberra and has signified interest to ship bananas to Australia.
“The Philippines is the only country in the world for which Australia has agreed [that] bananas could be exported. But for that to happen, the Philippines need to meet some risk-management measures, because Australia has its own banana industry and we have some issues around disease control,” she said. Gorely said Filipino exporters prioritize Asian markets, such as Japan and South Korea, where they have a bigger share, compared to Australia where banana production is sufficient to meet domestic demand.
“If companies come to me and are interested in exporting to Australia, I’m sure we can work with them to meet the SPS,” she said. “No [Philippine] company has done that.” Gorely added there are opportunities for Filipino exporters to ship bananas to Australia. She noted that there were years when Australians were forced to pay more for bananas after plantations in North Queensland were destroyed by cyclones.
Last year Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III and Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez urged Canberra to allow the entry of Philippine bananas, which have been barred from Australia since 1995.
In October 2002 Manila filed a complaint against Australia at the World Trade Organization (WTO) for its de facto ban on Philippine bananas. Manila argued that Philippine bananas were no threat to Australian bananas because it does not intend to fill Australia’s entire demand for bananas. To date, the dispute has yet to be resolved.
Piñol also disclosed that the DA is preparing for another round of trade talks between Manila and Seoul, wherein the Philippines is seeking to reduce the tariff imposed by South Korea on imported bananas.
“I received a text from Finance Secretary Dominguez asking us to prepare for an engagement with South Korea, because the President is going to visit South Korea,” he said.
“We are pushing for a free-trade agreement with South Korea to include our agricultural products, such as bananas,” Piñol added.