PH renews zero tariff bid for bananas entering Japan

Agriculture Secretary William Dar has reiterated the Philippines’ request to Japan to lower the tariff imposed on Philippine bananas.

During the two countries’ bilateral meeting in Brunei Darussalam last week, Dar asked his counterparts: “I would like to request your support for the preferential tariff rate of zero percent for Philippine bananas in Japan, which currently imposes 18 percent tariff during the winter season and 8 percent during the summer.”

Former agriculture chief Emmanuel Piñol also lobbied to scrap the tariff on Philippine bananas, but the proposal did not gain traction during his term.

Japan used to be the largest importer of Philippine bananas for nearly three decades until China grabbed the spot in 2018, buying more than 1.1 million tons last year.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed Japan accounted for more than 30 percent of the country’s total annual banana exports in 2016, valued at $231.3 million.

During the same year, an agriculture deal worth P2.3 billion was struck between local banana growers and a Japanese firm, involving a total of 20 million boxes of Cavendish bananas for export.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Japan Vice Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Shinya Fujiki wanted to discuss the matter on the context of the ongoing review of the Philippines-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (PJEPA).

The Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association, whose members export 50 percent of their banana production to Japan, has asked the Philippine government to fast-track negotiations on the reduction of tariffs to maintain the country’s position in the East Asian market even as importers strike deals with other banana producers such as Vietnam, Peru, Ecuador and Indonesia.

Other matters that were discussed during the meeting included the Philippines’ request for updates on the
market access for Hass avocados and its accreditation as a food and mouth disease-free country.

Meanwhile, Fujiki raised the elimination of tariffs on Japanese rice in the Philippines, as well as market access of Japanese strawberries in the country.