Vietnam okays entry of Phl plant products

MANILA, Philippines - Vietnam has accredited the Philippines as a source of plant products after three years of application, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced yesterday.

Ana GM B. Abejuela, Special Agriculture Representative of the Philippine Embassy in Thailand, said exporters of fresh and processed fruit would benefit the most from this new market access.

Among the promising Philippine exports are fresh Cavendish bananas and pineapple; processed fruits like dried mangoes, banana chips and canned pineapple products; and other products of plant origin that meet Vietnam’s food safety control system standards.

The accreditation process had been challenging for the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) according to DA assistant secretary for Regulations Paz Benavidez II because the Philippine Food Safety Act was just approved and the implementing rules and regulations are yet to be finalized.

“Only big companies have food safety control systems in place. Small farmers are not even aware of the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), which is one of the requirements for exporters,” she said.

In granting accreditation, Vietnam required the following from the Philippines: information on food safety control system; list of pesticides, plant growth regulators, preservatives used in production, storage and trade of foodstuffs; and annual updated Food Safety Monitoring Program for foodstuffs during production, domestic circulation and export.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said the new market access for Philippine plant products could spur further interest in other agricultural products of the country.

“This accreditation reflects how we have improved, particularly on our products of plant origin and we are positive that this further builds our integrity in the ASEAN and the international market,” Alcala said.

He added that this could pave the way for easier accreditation of other Philippine products, other than those of plant origin such as livestock, in Vietnam and even in other countries.

“Access to the Vietnamese market could further boost our competitive advantage in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) market in 2015, and serve as springboard for other opportunities for the Philippine agricultural sector in the international arena,” Alcala said.

Benavidez said the accreditation would enable small farmers to sell their products for export at a higher price, and eventually, the Philippines could tap other foreign markets outside Southeast Asia.

“More exports would mean more revenue, more labor opportunities for Filipinos and increased contribution of the agricultural sector to the Philippine economy,” Benavidez said.