RP loses Japanese market for mango, okra

The Philippines is losing its market-led in terms of mango and okra exports in Japan due to high pesticide residue.

Department of Agriculture (DA) Assistant Secretary Salvador S.M. Salacup revealed this during the recently held seminar-workshop on science-based agriculture sponsored by Croplife Philippines and the Initiative for Farm Advocacy and Resources Management (iFARM).

Salacup called on the farm sector to adhere to the standards of good practices regarding farm chemical application while giving instructions to the Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority (FPA) and to the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) to conduct intensive training and info drive on pesticide use.

While noting that Japan has remained the leading market of the country's fruit and vegetable exports, Salacup bared moves of Japanese authorities to address concerns regarding high levels of pesticide residues found in mango and in okra.

"Japanese (authorities) were even here to work out on pesticide residue," he told participants to the workshop but he failed to reveal details discussed during the visit last year.

Salacup's presentation did not show mango and banana among the country's top 10 agri-commodity export which was dominated by coconut oil, fresh banana, tuna, pineapple, desiccated coconut, milk and cream products, manufactured tobacco, seaweed carragenan, sugar, shrimp and prawn.

However, mango and okra are among the identified high value crops which DA will be giving priority intervention under its Ginintuang Masaganang Ani-High Value Commercial Crops (GMA-HVCC) Program in 2009.

For mango, DA will be establishing packing house and post harvest facilities; conduct training on pest management and provide chemicals for flower induction.

With these interventions, DA is projecting a six percent increase in Mango production this year while also looking at Okra to regain its market share in Japan.

On the other hand, participants to the Croplife and iFarm workshop gave particular attention to concerns on the need to adhere to the good agricultural practice (GAP) guidelines.

In the Declaration for Science-Based Sustainable Agriculture signed during at the close of the workshop, participants recognized the importance of following the GAP "which include safe and judicious use of crop protection products."

The declaration resolved that local government agencies tasked to inspect and enforce laws relevant to the safe practice of agriculture should effectively and efficiently deliver necessary services.

In line with this, producers and stakeholders including exporters and marketers were called on "to police their ranks and stick to GAP guidelines" but "to avoid restricting agricultural technologies and inputs unless these methods have been shown not to conform with GAP guidelines."


Source: pia.gov.ph

Publication date: 1/27/2009