MANILA, Philippines—The United States Department of Agriculture has assured its Philippine counterpart that it will fast-track the processing of its quarantine protocols to enable Filipino growers to export hard green bananas to the US, Philippine Department of Agriculture officials said.

Once these protocols, including the fruit’s pest risk analysis, are ready, Philippine banana growers will be able to export bananas to the US and earn an estimated $6 million a year, department officials said.

They said Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap raised the issue on the banana protocol pending with the USDA Animal Plant Health and Inspection Service at a meeting with Secretary Ed Schafer during President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s recent working visit to the US.

“Secretary Schafer assured Secretary Yap that the processing of the protocol for Philippine bananas will be fast tracked by his agency,” said Agriculture Assistant Secretary Josyline Javelosa, who was in the President’s delegation.

“Bureau of Plant Industry quarantine officials said they were optimistic that the evaluation of the Philippines’ banana pest mitigation measures will turn out to be favorable and a protocol for the exportation of hard green bananas can be agreed upon and completed soon,” Javelosa said.

She said USDA officials agreed with the Philippine agriculture officials to do two projects immediately, namely, biotechnology training of Filipino scientists in American universities and a US agricultural trade and investment mission to Mindanao within the year. With editing by INQUIRER.net