It was noted during the meeting that because of increasing global awareness on the impact of aging technologies on the environment, especially climate change, more stringent health, safety and environmental standards are being built specially in the West.

The utter lack of product testing facilities in the country has also been raised by the food sector the other week as they try to comply with a new food safety law in the United States that is due to take effect by January 1 next year.

All the affected export industry to these emergent rules have expressed fears that the lack of infrastructure services which government regulators like the Bureau of Product Standards, the Bureau of Food and Drugs recently renamed Food and Drugs Administration, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources – should have prepared for, may turn out to be the non-tariff barriers to trade that the WTO has been trying to tear down. -- Abe P. Belena, PHILEXPORT News and Features <--back

2. Sea level rise seen to affect 10-20 million ha of rice lands

Sea level rise owing to climate change is expected to affect an estimated 10 to 20 million hectares of rice lands in the country.

The grim situation the country was facing was bared in a forum by Maria Victoria O. Espaldon, professor and dean of University of the Philippines-Los Baños, School of Environment, Science and Management.

Espaldon said climate change in the country has adverse impacts on agriculture, particularly on rice and other crops and livestocks.

“It seems the country faces serious problems… Our main problem in agriculture now is extreme variability (of weather events) which means, the expected rainy season when we have to plant, does not happen. And sudden rains affect harvests of fruit-bearing trees in their flowering stage,” she explained.

Apart from sea level rise and weather hazards like typhoons, droughts and floodings, Espaldon said, temperature increase and changes in rainfall due to climate change are also relevant to agriculture.

“When Arctic ice melts, it becomes water and it will go down to us. The effect is global sea level rise – that’s a threat to the Philippines. Even it is global, it can be felt especially in coastal community,” she said.

Based on observations of Meteo France, over the last 50 years, warming is nearly twice that of the last 100 years. And warmth of the last 50 years is unusual during the previous 1,300 years, she stressed.

To help the country cope with climate change, Espaldon said, adaptation and mitigation strategies must be documented and tested coming from a wide variety of knowledge systems.

“Stress-tolerant rice and other crops and livestock can be developed,” she said, adding rice systems have to become more resilient to drought, submergence, salinity and heat waves.

Espaldon also cited the need for an integrated approach to the problem to optimize the resources the country has to deal with the challenges of climate change.

“A landscape approach to understanding climate change impacts on agriculture,” she said. “It does mean that we have only to focus on agriculture; climate change impacts on various ecosystems. We need to also think of ways to restore our forest cover.” -- Danielle Venz, PHILEXPORT News and Features <--back

3. RP gov’t asked to enter into joint agreement with China on ways to address smuggling

The Philippine government should undertake steps to enter into a joint agreement with China on ways to halt rampant smuggling and importation of Chinese products that have been adversely affecting the sustainability of the industries and jobs in the country.

In a paper, Joseph Francia and Errol Ramos of Fair Trade Alliance said the persistent and rampant smuggling of foreign goods into the Philippines is among the challenges of Philippine-China trade relations.

“Smuggling has been a continuing scourge of Philippine manufacturing and agricultural sectors. It has not abated and has in fact worsened. Many Philippine companies, even those that are competitive globally, had to close shop or reduce production and employment, due to smuggling,” they said.

Francia and Ramos particularly identified the vegetable and shoe industries as the hardest hit by smuggling. Other affected sectors are steel, paper, cement, petrochemicals, plastics, ceramic tiles, among others.

They pointed out that while the early harvest provision of the ASEAN-China free trade agreement (FTA) allowed the importation of vegetables at zero tariffs, smuggling continues as importers try to avoid the 12-percent value-added tax (VAT).

“Given the higher cost of doing business in the Philippines, there is no way that domestic products will be able to compete with Chinese goods,” they said.

Despite the issue of rampant smuggling of Chinese goods into the Philippines, there does not appear to be any complaint on the part of China regarding smuggling of Philippine products into China.

“Thus, the burden falls on the Philippine government to bring this issue to the attention of China and take initiatives to seek its cooperation to minimize this cancer. It is noteworthy that among the many MOUs/MOAs (memorandum of understanding/agreement), not one addresses this issue,” the paper said.

Among other measures, it recommended that China can require its exporters to make available the inward shipping manifest to officially accredited representatives of agriculture and industry.

The Philippine government can require the same of its exporters, it added.

Moreover, the Department of Agriculture Task Force on WTO Agricultural Renegotiation, which includes such accredited representatives for agriculture, would be an existing mechanism for the monitoring of imports coming from China.

“FairTrade can work for the creation of a similar body for industry, with the Department of Trade and Industry as the lead agency,” Francia and Ramos said.

Citing estimates made by the Federation of Philippine Industries, they said almost P175 billion in government revenues is being lost annually due to smuggling. -- Danielle Venz, PHILEXPORT News and Features <--back

4. ASEAN nations to harmonize traditional medicines standards and regulations

The Philippines is actively participating in meetings with other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the quest for a consensus on harmonization of traditional medicines standards and regulations, paving the way for a free flow of goods in the region.

“We actively participate in the ACCSQ (ASEAN Consultative Committee on Standards and Quality) TMHS. If there is consensus, agreements, we voice out what is the Philippine position,” Food-Drug Regulation officer Melody M. Zamudio of the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) said in an interview.

“2011 is our target to harmonize ASEAN requirements for TMHS (traditional medicine and health supplement),” she said.

With harmonization, regulatory bodies of the 10-member ASEAN will have uniform standards and technical requirements. This will remove technical barriers to trade, she added.

Zamudio believes this will also help the industry improve the quality of their products and establishments, and meet ASEAN standards.

Apart from traditional medicines, Zamudio said, standards and regulations of cosmetic products have been harmonized.

“There is already an ASEAN cosmetic directive. While pharmaceutical (product standards and regulations) are implemented this year,” she said.

The ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. -- Danielle Venz, PHILEXPORT News and Features <--back