’Death’ of Benguet veggie industry looms
Baguio Sun-Star, Philippines
’Death’ of Benguet veggie industry looms
By Jane Cadalig
7 September 2005
BAGUIO CITY — The feared "demise" of the Benguet vegetable industry due to the free trade agreement looms.
Growers expressed this fear when vegetables from Benguet were not excluded from the Early Harvest Program (EHP) signed by the Chinese and Philippine governments.
The agreement would declare local markets in the country open to the free entry of certain agricultural crops from China.
Agriculture Undersecretary Segfredo Serrano, in a letter to Benguet Governor Borromeo Melchor, said the government could not accommodate the province’s request for exclusion from the agreement.
Embodied in the agreement entered into by then trade secretary Juan Santos and Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai last April 27 is the elimination of tariff rates on all agricultural products by January next year.
Crops that would freely enter the country include carrots, potatoes, and cabbage—commodities that are also produced by Benguet farmers.
Stressing that the inclusion of these produce in the bilateral free trade agreement would kill the vegetable industry, the Benguet Provincial Board (PB) earlier sought exemption of vegetables similarly grown in Benguet from the early harvest agreement.
But Serrano said the request could not be considered, explaining that the Philippines is a signatory to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Free Trade Area.
"Your request for exclusion of vegetables is not possible at this point," he said, adding "some of the country’s major export products have not enjoyed preferential concessions in China due to the late commitment of the Philippines to the Asean-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA)."
Serrano said the country was the last Asean member-country to join the EHP, which was actually implemented January 2004.
He, however, assured that DA has placed certain vegetable tariff lines under the FTA sensitive track. "This means that these tariff lines would enjoy longer tariff reduction timeframe."
Serrano also requested local government units to assist the agriculture department in instituting necessary competitiveness enhancement programs for the vegetable industry. (Sun.Star Baguio/Sunnex)
