|
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
RP agri exports still have ‘edge’ in Asean
By Malou M. Mozo
Sun.Star Correspondent
The Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards (BAFPS) reported that the country’s produce are “good” for export.
“The Philippines is a major exporter of agricultural produce,” Gilberto Layese, BAFPS director told the ministry of agriculture representatives of the participating Association of Southeast Nations (Asean)-member countries.
Representatives from Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and the Philippines were present in the three-day workshop on the Quality Assurance Systems for Asean Fruits and Vegetables project (QASAFV) of the Asean Australia Development Cooperation Program (AADCP) held yesterday in Plantation Bay Resort and Spa.
The RMIT International of Australia, BAFPS and Products Standards Philippines conducted the workshop.
In an interview with Sun.Star Cebu, Layese said the top fruits for export are bananas, pineapples and mangoes while top vegetables for export are okra, ginger, asparagus and papaya.
“Nothing beats agriculture in terms of importance since it is a primary industry,” said Larry Lacson, an agriculture center chief of BAFPS.
Lacson said the country is still “enjoying the edge.”
He added that Japan and the Middle East remain the top markets of banana while Korea and Japan are the markets for pineapples and China imports the mangoes.
For vegetables, Japan and Korea are the top markets of okra, ginger, asparagus and papaya.
“We are also exporting honeydew, mass melon and melon to Taiwan,” Lacson said.
He also said that in terms of spices, shalot (small onions) is a top product exported to Indonesia due to its pungent smell.
Layese said the bureau is looking into understanding the seasonality of foreign markets in terms of marketing the country’s agricultural produce.
Challenges
He added the exports of agricultural products are still challenged by freight costs, phytosanitary regulations, shelf life of commodities and “whether in the long run we can make money or not.”
“The problem on poor temperature management has caused most goods to be rotten,” said Bruce Tomkins, statewide leader for the Department of Prime Industries in Australia.
Tomkins stressed on the importance of temperature in ensuring high productivity of exported.
QASAFV, a project initiated by AADCP and funded by Australia’s overseas aid agency or AusAID, aims to establish a regional Asean environment for the development of a competitive private, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector, with focus on the quality and safety of food and agricultural products.
According to Layese, the first workshop held in Brunei “enhanced the capabilities and confidence” of the DA.
“We have prepared a proposal to improve our exports to meet the dynamic quality and safety standards of importing countries,” Layese said.
He also stressed that harmonization of standards, whether mandatory or voluntary, “will eliminate technical barriers to trade and ensure easy access to international market.”
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (August 29, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
