RP to remain with Cairns Group

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is ready to follow the instruction of President Arroyo to retain the country’s membership with the Cairns Group.

This was disclosed yesterday by Trade Undersecretary Adrian Cristobal Jr. who said the DTI will follow what President Arroyo announced last Thursday.

Earlier, Trade and Industry Secretary Manuel Roxas II threatened the Philippines’ pull-out from the Cairns Group following its failure to help the Philippines negotiate for access to European markets for its tuna exports.

The Cairns Group is an Australia-led lobby group whose main objective is to promote the interest of several agriculture producing nations against US subsidized farm products.

The Philippines has been trying to seek more access to the European market for its tuna exports.

Bulk of the country’s tuna catch is fished off the shores of Mindanao where several terrorist-linked groups are based.

The government is trying to bring in more economic activity to Mindanao and it can only do so if it finds more market for Philippine tuna exports.

Australia has appealed to the Philippines to stay within the group as a disintegration of the group will make it harder for the individual countries to fight against the strong lobby of US and European farmers who enjoy enormous farm subsidies for their agricultural products.

The US and European markets have been the hardest to penetrate for most agricultural producing countries.