Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. is seeking the help of Japan’s new envoy to Manila, Ambassador Endo Kazuya, to increase the export of agricultural products to the Asian power house.
The new Japanese ambassador recently paid a courtesy call to Sec. Tiu Laurel to discuss agricultural cooperation between the two countries, particularly details to the memorandum of cooperation between the Department of Agriculture and Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the recently adopted ASEAN-Japan Midori Cooperation Plan.
The two officials discussed various topics, including sustainable agriculture initiatives, trade facilitation, market access concerns, and the DA’s upcoming hosting of the inaugural meeting of the Philippines-Japan Joint Committee on Agriculture scheduled from 30 to 31 May.
Sec. Tiu Laurel relayed to Amb. Kazuya the country’s long-standing request for the reduction of tariff on Philippine bananas, Philippines’ market access of fresh hass avocados, revival of Philippine mango exports to Japan, and the possibility of regionalization to facilitate the export of processed poultry products to Japan.
Banana is the country’s top agricultural export to Japan, with total volume between 2020 and 2023 reaching 3.4 million metric tons, based on sanitary and phytosanitary permits issued. A tariff reduction could further improve competitiveness and increase shipments of Philippine bananas to Japan, where it is a major part of the Japanese diet.
Between January and 15 April this year, banana exports from the Philippines to Japan reached 241,282 metric tons. Nine varieties of bananas are exported to Japan, but the Japanese market prefers Cavendish the most.
During the discussions, Secretary Tiu Laurel also reiterated the country’s request for hass avocados to gain access in Japan. He expressed hope for the final announcement of market access this year, as the Work Plan on Phytosanitary Requirements for Imports of Philippine fresh avocados to Japan was already agreed in principle during his last visit in December 2023.
As for mangoes, 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 the Cecid fly infestation.
The DA has backed mango exporter efforts focused on proper pest management aligned with Philippine good agricultural practices. These efforts are expected to increase confidence among Filipino exporters and ensure consistent supply of Philippine fresh mangoes to Japan.
