Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. is seeking the help of Japan’s new envoy to Manila, Ambassador Endo Kazuya to increase Philippine exports of agricultural products to Japan.
The new Japanese ambassador paid a courtesy call on Tiu Laurel to discuss bilateral agricultural cooperation, particularly the details of the memorandum of cooperation between the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture and Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the recently adopted ASEAN-Japan Midori Cooperation Plan.
The two officials discussed various topics including sustainable agriculture initiatives, trade facilitation, market access concerns and DA’s upcoming hosting of the inaugural meeting of the Philippines-Japan Joint Committee on Agriculture scheduled on May 30 to 31, 2024.
The DA raised issues on the Philippines’ long-standing request for the reduction of tariffs for Philippine bananas, Philippines’ market access for fresh avocadoes, the revival of Philippine mango exports to Japan and the possibility of regionalization to facilitate the export of processed poultry products to Japan.
Banana is the Philippines’ top agricultural export to Japan, with total volume between 2020 and 2023 reaching 3.4 million metric tons (MT), based on sanitary and phytosanitary permits issued.
A tariff reduction could further improve competitiveness and increase shipment of Philippine bananas to Japan, a major part of the Japanese diet, the DA said.
Banana exports from the Philippines to Japan reached 241,282 MT between January and April 15, 2024. While Japan imports nine banana varieties, Cavendish remains the king of bananas in the Japanese market.
The Philippines also expects to receive approval for its request to export fresh avocados to Japan within the year.
Meanwhile, mango exports to Japan plunged from 59 MT in 2021 to 11 MT in 2023, after the Philippines breached the maximum residue levels due to pesticide use.
The DA has supported the efforts of mango exporters on proper pest management aligned with the Philippine good agricultural practices. These efforts are expected to increase confidence among Filipino exporters and ensure a consistent supply of fresh mangoes to Japan.