The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) urged the Senate to defer the ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement pending consultations and studies on its potential impact on agriculture.
The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations chaired by Aquilino Pimentel III, started hearings on the process of the ratification and formal entry of the Philippines into the trade agreement which will be participated by Asean countries as well as China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
FFF in a statement said the Senate must require the DA to undertake a detailed and comprehensive consultation with stakeholders before taking further action on the RCEP ratification proposal.
It said the DA should commission an independent review and assessment of the impact of ongoing free trade agreements.
“We are in the dark as to what the government has committed to other RCEP countries with respect to our agricultural products,” said Raul Montemayor, FFF national manager.
Montemayor said the country has not taken advantage of trade opportunities from previous trade agreements including the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade-Uruguay Round under the World Trade Organization; the regional agreements such as the Asean Trade in Goods Agreement and Asean with China, Korea, Australia and New Zealand as well as its lone bilateral FTA, with Japan
“(Philippine) exports have not grown significantly and we have failed to promote and export goods other than traditional commodities such as banana, pineapple and coconut-based products. There is no dedicated program to help farmers produce export-grade products, nor are processors and exporters given ample support to comply with international standards and compete with other countries,” Montemayor said
The FFF said without enough support for the local agri sector, importation of food and other agricultural products have increased which resulted in a surge of agricultural trade deficits and reduced income of farmers.
