The Philippines and Japan have committed to enhancing cooperation in agricultural trade and technology, with Manila pressing Tokyo to remove tariffs on Philippine bananas and improve market access for pomelo, and Japan seeking to export fresh grapes to the Philippine market.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and Japanese Agriculture Minister Koizumi Shinjiro met on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Agriculture and Forestry Ministers Meeting to discuss trade, technology transfer and sustainability collaboration.
Tiu Laurel said the Philippines raised concerns over banana tariffs, which currently reach 18 percent, making exports less competitive. Despite remaining as Japan’s top supplier, the country’s banana market share in Japan fell to 75 percent in 2024 from 94 percent in 2023 amid increased competition from Ecuador and other countries.
Asked at a news conference if banana tariffs were addressed in the talks, Tiu Laurel said: ‘Yes… (Koizumi) promised to look into it.’
He added that while Manila continues to explore tariff-free access through the Common Effective Preferential Tariff framework, it is also considering a bilateral trade arrangement to accelerate market access.
Japan, the Philippines’ second-largest importer of agricultural and fishery products in 2024, with purchases exceeding $1 billion, is also seeking to expand exports to Manila.
Koizumi confirmed Japan has submitted a pest risk analysis and technical documents to the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry in support of its request to export fresh table grapes.
Tiu Laurel proposed expanding the existing Philippines-Japan Memorandum of Cooperation to cover fisheries, smart agriculture, mechanization, postharvest technology, pest and disease management and diagnostic laboratory upgrades.
Tiu Laurel welcomed Japan’s ongoing support under the ASEAN-Midori Cooperation Plan, aimed at promoting sustainable agricultural development and climate resilience, and thanked Japan for its recent rice donation to disaster-affected communities through the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve Tier 3 Program.
The ministers also discussed the Joint Crediting Mechanism, which encourages the adoption of alternate wetting and drying technology in rice farming to reduce methane emissions and conserve water.
The two countries also agreed to hold the second Philippines-Japan Joint Committee on Agriculture next year, ahead of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2026.
Japan invited the Philippines to participate in GREENxEXPO 2027, an international horticulture exhibition in Yokohama.