Phl wants Japan to adopt zero tariff on all agri products

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines wants Japan to bring down to zero all its agricultural tariffs, reciprocal to the Philippines’ own reduction to zero of its tariff wall on almost all agricultural products, except rice.

Agriculture Undersecretary Segfredo R. Serrano, who attended a recent review of the Japan –Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) last month, said the Philippines had proposed a “zero for zero” tariff, except for rice.

Japan, Serrano said, “should be more prepared for liberalization especially since it is a developed country.”

Serrano said Japan should not use its recent spate of disasters, as an excuse to delay the agri tariff reduction since the Philippines is also a victim of natural disasters.

He pointed out that the Philippines has been ahead in reducing its tariff wall compared to Japan.

The Philippine banana industry in the south recently urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) to push for the reduction of Japanese tariff on Philippine bananas to help the industry.

Philippine bananas are still subjected to a sliding tariff of 10 percent during off-season production in Japan and up to 20 percent during peak banana production.

Serrano has asked the banana sector to provide Philippine negotiators with more “ammunition” to argue the tariff reduction request with Japan.

The Philippines is seeking the review of the JPEPA based on Japan’s failure to fulfill its own commitments under the agreement.

These failures include increasing investments in the automotive sector, lowering its tariff cover as well as removing non-tariff barriers, and opening up the Japan labor sector to Filipino nurses and caregivers.

Following the signing of the JPEPA, the Philippines – in anticipation of Japanese investments in the automotive sector – had agreed to lower to zero the tariffs on imports of trucks and light commercial vehicles from Japan with an engine displacement of three liters and above.

Japanese car assemblers in the Philippines under the agreement are committed to export their output in support of the local automotive industry.

So far, that commitment has not been met.

Japan was also supposed to ease the requirements on Filipino nurses and caregivers working in Japan, but Filipino nurses and caregivers still have difficulty entering the Japanese labor market due to restrictive requirements such as learning the language.

The JPEPA is a bilateral agreement intended to liberalize trade, investments and labor relations between the two countries.