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The Philippine Okra Producers and Exporters Association (POPEA) is
pinning its hopes on the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership
Agreement (JPEPA) to increase or at least maintain its
sizeable exports of okra and other agricultural products to Japan.
POPEA Roberto Amores on Friday said that the
Senate ratification of JPEPA would further open up the rich Japanese
market to more agricultural products from the Philippines, thereby
providing more income for Filipino farmers. He said the
organization’s members are appealing to the Senate to hasten its
ratification of JPEPA to benefit vegetable farmers.
Japan is the second largest market for
Philippine agricultural exports, closely following the United
States, data from the Department of Trade and Industry showed.
With JPEPA’s ratification, Japan will
immediately lift tariffs on vegetables such as asparagus and okra,
on fruits such as mangoes, durian, guavas, papayas, mangosteen, figs
and dates, berries, apples, and grapes, and meat such as turkey and
duck. Tariffs on garlic, peace and grape fruits will also be
lifted in phases.
Amores said that okra and asparagus are the
Philippines’ two major fresh vegetable exports to Japan. He
added that Japan buys almost 80 percent of total Philippine
pineapple exports.
“With a reduced tariff rate quota under JPEPA,
fresh and dried pineapple products from the Philippines can expect a
wider market demand in Japan,” he predicted
Amores said, however, that the opportunities
opened by JPEPA might go to waste unless local vegetable farmers
solve the continuing chemical residue problems and meet the high
quality standards of the Japanese market.
He appealed to the Department of Agriculture to
intensify its educational campaign among vegetable farmers to train
them on the proper use of pesticides and fertilizers to meet the
quality standards demanded by the Japanese market for vegetables,
especially okra.
Amores expressed fears that if the problems on
chemical residue persist, the exportation of okra products to Japan
might decline by 20 percent this year. Last year, the
Philippines exported 4,500 metric tons of okra to Japan valued at
$15 million.
-- Efren L. Danao
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