Let next Congress tackle RCEP, agri groups urge gov’t

Various agricultural groups have urged the government to

Let the next administration decide on whether to ratify the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), to make way for more in-depth consultations with various sectors that may be harmed by the free trade agreement.

The groups claimed that the government has so far highlighted only the economic benefits of joining the international trade accord and not the potential adverse impact on key sectors of the economy.

In an online briefing held on Monday, Federation of Free Farmers chair Leonardo Montemayor, a former secretary of the Department of Agriculture, said industry stakeholders had been “kept in the dark” over the last two years due to the lack of consultations.

The RCEP consolidates existing regional free trade deals among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China, South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Jonjon Santos, president of the Association of Fresh Fish Traders of the Philippines, said the fishing and aquaculture sectors had not been able to keep track of developments related to RCEP since they had not been invited to any consultation.

“If we want to be part of RCEP, we have to prepare. We have to know what we’re getting into. This is how we can protect local producers,” Santos said.

Elias Jose Inciong, president of United Broiler Raisers Association, added that the Philippines’ agriculture sector was not prepared to operate under the proposed trade bloc where goods will be able to more easily move within extended borders, just like when the country joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995.

“RCEP is a more liberalized version of WTO. When we joined WTO, we were not prepared. Other countries make good use of their data to anticipate future problems so they are able to avert them from happening. Here, it is the opposite. We always wait for it to harm our local producers first before our government steps in. RCEP will further damage our industries. This agreement favors importers, not our local producers,” Inciong stressed.

“They neglected the sector in favor of importers and here we are now in an age of climate change, of disruptions in the supply chain. Increasingly, we are being made more dependent on importation,” he said, adding that “as far as I’m concerned, we are on dangerous ground.”

Chester Warren Tan, president of the National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc., added that if the RCEP would be ratified without consultations, the vital sector would be affected “very much.”

Tan reiterated their appeal for the government to prioritize local producers, who have are finding it increasingly difficult to compete against foreign goods, many of which come from countries that heavily subsidize their farmers.

“It’s all one-sided and our industries are struggling. We have to strive for self-sufficiency when it comes to food. It is dangerous to rely on imported products. If there is a shortage, what will happen to us?” he added.

President Duterte approved the accord last year, but it has not yet been ratified by the Senate as required under the Constitution.

The Senate has already adjourned for the election season.