Philippine trade concessions to US won’t ‘harm’ local producers

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said it has been assured by Philippine trade negotiators that no concessions will be made to the US that will harm domestic producers of agricultural goods.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said the reassurance covers rice and sugar, which the Philippines does not import from the US, as well as corn, chicken, fish, and pork.

Left out of his list is wheat, which the Philippines does not produce in commercial quantities, which domestic industries use for food production and animal feed.

The Philippine negotiating team, led by Secretary Frederick D. Go, who heads the Office of the  Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs, and Trade Secretary Maria Cristina Aldeguer-Roque, made the reassurances as they negotiate the technical details of the preliminary trade deal with the US, under which Philippine exports pay a US tariff of 19%.

President Donald J. Trump last week said the Philippines has granted duty-free access to some US imports.

The DA, citing Malacañang, said a final trade agreement is still being hammered out by trade negotiators.

“Secretary Go… assured the Philippines has not made any concessions that would harm local producers,” it said.

The Philippine negotiating team has said that any trade agreement “must strike a balance between improving market access and safeguarding the livelihoods of Filipino workers and farmers,” the DA said. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza