DA looking into exporting processed poultry to Japan
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. is looking into exporting processed poultry products to Japan, the Department of Agriculture said Monday.
This was conveyed by Laurel to Ambassador of Japan to the Philippines Endo Kazuya during his courtesy call in the agency early this month.
The DA noted that Laurel sought the help of Endo to increase exports of agricultural products to the Asian power house.
"Sec. Tiu Laurel relayed to Amb. Kazuya the Philippines' long-standing request for the reduction of tariffs for Philippine bananas, Philippines' market access of fresh hass avocadoes, revival of Philippine mango exports to Japan, and the possibility of regionalization to facilitate the export of processed poultry products to Japan," the DA said on Monday.
The DA stressed that the tariff reduction of bananas, which is the Philippines’ top agricultural export to Japan, with total volume reaching 3.4 million metric tons between 2020 and 2023 could improve competitiveness and increase shipments to Japan, where bananas are a major part of the Japanese diet.
"Between January and April 15 this year, banana exports from the Philippines to Japan reached 241,282 metric tons. Nine varieties of bananas are exported to Japan, but Cavendish is still most preferred in the Japanese market," it stated.
Laurel also expressed hope for the final announcement of market access this year, as the Work Plan on Phytosanitary Requirements for Imports of Philippine fresh avocadoes to Japan was already agreed in principle during his last visit to Japan in December 2023.
The DA noted that the "export of fresh mangoes has gone down significantly from 59 metric tons in 2021 to 11 metric tons in 2023 due to stringent enforcement of food safety regulations, particularly maximum residue levels due to pesticide use attributed to the presence of destructive mango pests and diseases like Cecid fly infestation."
To increase confidence among Filipino exporters and ensure consistent supply of Philippine fresh mangoes to Japan, the Agriculture department supported the efforts of mango exporters which focused on proper pest management aligned with Philippine Good Agricultural Practices.
Also discussed by the two officials were "agricultural cooperation between the two countries, particularly details of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Philippines' Department of Agriculture and Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the recently adopted ASEAN-Japan Midori Cooperation Plan."
The DA said "various topics, including sustainable agriculture initiatives, trade facilitation, market access concerns, and DA's upcoming hosting of the inaugural meeting of the Philippines-Japan Joint Committee on Agriculture scheduled on May 30-31" was also mentioned during their meeting. DMS
