Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol. INQUIRER PHOTO
The Department of Agriculture will formally ask Japan for a uniform tariff for Philippine agricultural products, especially bananas.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said he mentioned the country’s request for a uniform tariff to his Japanese government counterpart when they met during President Duterte’s three-day official visit there.
Piñol noted that the tariff for agricultural products fluctuates. At present, the tariff for Philippine bananas exported to Japan range from 18.5 percent in winter to 8.5 percent during the summer season.
“I told the agriculture minister, ‘Can we possibly set it at 8 percent year round… so we could produce more for the Japanese market?’” he told
reporters in an interview
in Tokyo.
“Let us be the garden of Japan. We would plant whatever you need,” he further recalled telling the agriculture minister.
He said he was briefed that Japan had imposed a tariff on Philippine agricultural products in order to protect its mandarins.—LEILA B. SALAVERRIA