Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) administrator Danilo M. Coronacion said this developed after the conclusion of the recent Manila-Taipei joint economic conference when the Taiwanese government hinted it is now willing to reopen its market.
"The Taiwanese government appeared to be receptive to our proposal to reopen their market for fresh coconuts. What we have to do now is to ensure that we comply with their requirements soonest so that we can start trading as early as in the first quarter of 2004," said Coronacion.
The PCA is close to completing preventive measures to ensure that key coconut-producing regions are free of the cadang-cadang disease that infested these areas years back.
Earlier, the PCA said it already met Taiwan’s requirement of a survey of all coconut-producing regions to determine areas that are not infested or contaminated with the disease.
Among the provinces that were deemed disease-free are Cavite, Laguna and Batangas.
The Philippines has been lobbying with the Taiwanese government to allow the shipment of fresh coconuts after a ban was imposed in 1998 because of the disease.
Before the ban, exports of fresh coconuts to Taiwan was a thriving trade, with exports reaching about 4,500 metric tons annually. – Rocel Felix