Agriculture exports seen to hit $4.5 billion this year

MANILA, Philippines - Agriculture exports are expected to increase to $4.5 billion this year from $3.8 billion last year, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Salvador Salacup said yesterday.

The export growth this year, will come from seafood, traditional fruit exports such as mangoes and from vegetables such as okra, Salacup said.

According to Salacup, the Philippines will soon resume the export of fresh okra to Japan after the island nation lifted the import ban it imposed about three years ago on fresh okra from the Philippines following findings of unacceptable high levels of pesticide residue in the vegetable.

With the lifting of the import ban, he said Philippine okra imports would now be subject only to random inspection instead of the previous mandatory inspection of all okra imports at the port of entry which virtually makes the okra unmarketable.

The Philippines is hoping to regain its No. 1 position in the list of vegetable suppliers to Japan.

Salacup said the fresh okra export market is estimated at $8.75 million to $10.5 million based on a $3.50 per kilo price.

Japan imposed the import ban on Philippine fresh okra about three years ago following the detection by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry of unacceptable high levels of pesticide residue in the vegetable.

Following the ban, Salacup said, exports of Philippine fresh okra dropped by 40 percent, resulting in an estimated revenue loss of $3.5 million.

Japan is the major export destination of Philippine okra.

In 2006, Philippine exports of fresh okra to Japan amounted to 2,500 metric tons.

In 2007, following the ban, exports of fresh okra dropped to 1,600 MT and further down to 1,425 MT in 2008.

With the lifting of the ban, the Philippine okra industry is hoping to increase its exports back to 2,500 MT and perhaps even increase it to 3,000 MT for fiscal year 2009-2010.

The industry, likewise, is hoping to go into added value processing such as vacuum packed okra which would make it acceptable to the European Union market.    — Marianne Go