Get your act together, GMA tells seaweed industry players

President Arroyo directed feuding parties, the Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines (SIAP) and US-based FMC Marine Colloids Phils. Inc., to settle a long-standing dispute that is blocking the inclusion of manufactured carrageenan in this year’s list of US Generalized Systems of Preferences (GSP).

Mrs. Arroyo who recently launched in Cebu the National Integrated Seaweed Development Program (NISDP) met with SIAP president Benson Dakay, FMC officials and other industry representatives.

The President who was briefed on the concerns of the seaweed industry said the inclusion of carrageenan in the US GSP will further strengthen the local seaweed market and firm up its growing dominance in the world market.

Currently, the Philippines is the world’s number one supplier of dried seaweed and natural grade carrageenan and is the third biggest producer of fresh seaweeds, next to China and Japan.

"When this is included in the US GSP, the tariff on our carrageenan will be lifted. But before the US will attend to that, they would want to see a settlement of a dispute within the seaweed industry that involves an American firm. After all, they want to protect their own investors," said Arroyo in her speech during the NISDP launch.

"Hopefully, this intra-industry dispute can be resolved in a win-win solution because we have to win that US market even more," added Arroyo.

Carrageenan was supposed to be included in the list of US GSP items submitted for approval to the Washington-based US Trade Representative Office (USTR) in exchange for the country’s support to the US war with Iraq. SIAP is rushing to meet the deadline in June.