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Monday, December 19, 2005
Exporters ask DA to remove Cebu from Australia’s shipment ban
CEBU-based exporters are urging the Department of Agriculture (DA) to formalize the delisting of Cebu from Australia’s list of giant African snail (GAS)-infested areas and acquire, among others, an official document from that country confirming this development.
Philippine Exporters Confederation (Philexport)-Cebu executive director Fred Escalona said a document from the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (Aqis) will convince international shipping companies to call on the port of Cebu so that exporters can again directly ship their products to Australia.
“The Department of Agriculture said the GAS issue is no longer an issue. But we need an official closure (on this issue) because unttil now, we have not seen an official document from the Aqis stating that Australia no longer considers Cebu GAS-infested,” he said.
Poisonous
He said Australia, among other countries, is very particular about the GAS, as this secretes a poisonous substance that is harmful to plants and animals.
Escalona said addressing this problem would allow Cebu exporters to contribute to the achievement of the goal of the Export Development Council (EDC), which is to increase the country’s export to $50 billion in 2007.
Cebu was included in Austalia’s list of GAS-infested areas after the Aqis found a GAS in one of the shipments from Cebu last year. Because of this, shipments from Cebu were banned from entering Austalian port.
This has resulted in a 40 percent decline in the volume of direct exports to Australia or from 1,500 containers in 1999 to some 990 last year, because international shipping companies have stopped docking at Cebu ports. This forced exporters to ship their Australia-destined products to Manila, incurring additional shipping costs.
Circular
Escalona said Philexport-Cebu also hopes the DA will issue a circular informing international and local shipping lines, court authorities and exporters about the delisting of Cebu from Australia’s list of GAS-infested areas.
The GAS is one of the local issues raised by Cebu-based exporters that need to be addressed if the EDC’s Philippine Export Development Plan 2005-2007 of increasing export to $50 billion in 2007 is to be achieved.
EDC executive director Fernando Cala III said the council has mapped out a plan to achieve the target. One strategy is to conduct a series of consultations among industry players through industry associations in the country.
Cala said the EDC recognizes the need for both the government and the private sector to work together to promote export.
“Export contributes to the country’s economy,” he said. (JBN)
(December 19, 2005 issue)
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