Taiwan urged to allow entry of PH coconuts, mangoes

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the biggest business group in the country, urged Taiwan to reconsider and allow the entry of Philippine fresh fruits, initially young coconuts and mangoes.

PCCI president Benedicto Yujuico met recently with Taiwan’s representative to the Philippines, Michael Peiyung Hsu, to whom Yujuico relayed the PCCI appeal.

“We had the good opportunity to talk to Hsu where we elevated our concerns on the current ban of our fruit exports to Taiwan because of sanitary and phytosanitary standards,” Yujuico said.

The Philippines exported young coconuts and mangoes to Taiwan 40 years ago, PCCI said. These were banned after some time because of the “kadang-kadang” infestation on young coconuts and fruit flies on mangoes.

However, Roberto Amores, director for agriculture of PCCI, said that these issues had been addressed by the Philippine government—“kadang-kadang” infestation is now confined in a few regions. Young coconuts produced in ‘kadang-kadang’-free regions are in fact now exported to Japan, South Korea and China, among others.”

Earlier this year, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, citing information from Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) Council of Agriculture of Taiwan, wrote PCCI that the ban on Philippine young coconuts and fresh mangoes was apparently due to the failure of the Philippine government to submit the pest risk analysis (PRA) results on these two commodities since 2010.

The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industries (BPI), however, claimed it had communicated through the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (Meco) the status of mangoes as an export commodity to Taiwan and requested for additional information for the PRA on coconut.

Yujuico and Amores said PCCI would continue to pursue this matter with the BPI and Meco to be more proactive in responding to the requirements of the BAPHIQ.