Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said that the Philippines’ top agricultural produce such as rice, corn, sugar, chicken, fish and pork, will be protected in the ongoing tariff negotiations with the United States.
The Agriculture chief stated on Sunday, July 27, that Philippine trade negotiators have assured him of protection for these local produce.
“Secretary Frederick Go and Trade Secretary Cristina Roque have assured us that the top priority for Philippine trade negotiators is protecting our local producers,” Tiu Laurel emphasized.
Last week, US President Donald Trump announced that the Philippines has agreed to a 19-percent tariff on its exports to the US, while granting duty-free access to American goods entering the country. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was in the White House when Trump announced the deal.
Marcos Jr. said the 1 percentage point cut from 20 percent to 19 percent was significant. But the Office of the President later modified its statement, clarifying that a final trade agreement has not been signed by Philippine and US negotiators.
The DA added that Go, who serves as special assistant to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for investment and economic affairs, assured stakeholders that the Philippines has not made any concessions that would harm local producers.
The agency said it wanted to allay the growing concerns over the potential impact of a tariff deal on key Philippine industries. Earlier, Go, in his own statement, said that any trade agreement “must strike a balance between improving market access and safeguarding the livelihoods of Filipino workers and farmers.”
Last week, the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) asked the government to fully disclose the results of its recent negotiations with the US on reciprocal tariffs.
The FFF took note of the different statements from Trump, who claimed the Philippines has agreed to open its market to American goods with zero tariff, and Marcos Jr., who said the zero-tariff rate would apply only to selected imports from the US, such as automobiles, pharmaceuticals, soya and wheat.
The Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. (PCAFI) called for further cuts to the US tariff to benefit local agricultural exporters.
“The silver lining of the recent developments is the fact that the Philippines has the second-lowest tariff rate among Southeast Asian countries, giving us a tariff advantage against neighboring countries that produce and export almost the same agricultural products as ours,” the group said.
The PCAFI said the Philippines had the tariff rate lowered by the US, at minimal costs to the country, while Vietnam and Indonesia had to sacrifice a lot.
The group also mentioned that zero tariffs for wheat and soy products from the US will not significantly damage local industries, adding it may even lead to cheaper animal feed products.
“It is also worthy to note that these two products are not produced locally and are already among the top agricultural imports of the country from the United States. We hope that the government will continue to protect the interests of our farmers and fisherfolk who remain the lifeblood of our country’s food security. We will remain vigilant in the on-going bilateral negotiations since the final trade deal has yet to be finalized,” PCAFI said.
