RP banana exporters restless as Washington stalls talks

Philippine banana exporters are growing restless as Washington continues to stall the negotiations on shipments to the US. "Negotiations are not moving as fast as they should because we're still in discussions about risk mitigation measures," Bureau of Plant Industry Director Larry Lacson told reporters in an interview Wednesday. Pest management remains the bone of contention, as the US Department of Agriculture wants the Philippine to devise ways to control pests in bananas for export, according to Lacson. Washington also wants Manila to resolve the issue if American farmers can export temperate vegetables to the Philippines once the US opens its fresh fruit market to Philippine bananas. The USDA has already issued an import risk assessment that would allow fresh bananas into the US shores once contentious issue on pest risk management is resolved. The Philippines first asked the US in December 2005 to let fresh bananas enter the mainland. The Southeast Asian nation then issued a second request in September 2007 for Washington to allow Philippine bananas into Hawaii, Guam, and the Northern Marianas Islands. Meanwhile, the Philippine is yet to make a final draft on its import risk assessment (IRA) for US vegetables. “We’re yet to wrap that up. Since they’re taking their sweet time, I guess we also have to be cautious in our assessment," Lacson said. Banana companies in the Philippines, including Dole, have been preparing to export fresh bananas to the US since last year. Fresh bananas remain the Philippines top export, which in 2008 amounted to $397.4 million. It currently exports fresh bananas to Japan, Korea, China, and New Zealand, as well as the Middle East. Meanwhile, Manila is still waiting for Canberra to reconsider the strict conditions in the final IRA on Philippine bananas. While Canberra issued an order allowing Philippine banana to enter the Australian market starting in December 2008, the Philippine's Department of Agriculture alleged that Canberra’s risk assessment of the product placed Philippine exporters at a great disadvantage. Both governments will now try to develop a work plan, to be approved by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, before considering any import permit for Philippine shipments. The plan would cover quarantine measures and protocols, the fielding of Australian inspectors in the Philippines, and the inspection of plantations and packing plants. Australia produces 270,000 metric tons (MT) of bananas a year, while the Philippines' yearly output is 7.5 million MT mostly from plantations in Mindanao. —VS, GMANews.TV