Department of Agriculture vows sufficient protection for agri sector in WTO meet

MANILA, Philippines - Agriculture Undersecretary Bernie Fondevilla assured yesterday that the government would “maintain sufficient protection measures” for the agriculture sector.

Fondevilla made the assurance following calls from sectoral groups for agriculture and trade officials currently attending the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Meeting in India to defend the Philippine agricultural sector against unfair trade deals.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap is attending the WTO Ministerial Meeting in India.

According to Fondevilla, “we will maintain sufficient protection measures for all sectors of Philippine agriculture, mindful that the most effective form of shield is an enduring domestic support system.”

However, Fondevilla was also quick to add that “the Philippines will honor its commitments under the WTO and Asean Free Trade Alliance (AFTA), but such commitments shall never be at the expense of our farmers and fisherfolk.”

Fondevilla, unfortunately, did not elaborate further on what specific protection measures the country’s agri and trade negotiators would ensure.

Sectoral groups, led by the Rice Watch and Action Network (R1), is urging the country’s chief agri and trade negotiators to take the lead among developing countries in securing Special Safeguard Mechanisms (SSM) for agricultural products.

The SSM is a flexibility measure for developing countries under the WTO which will allow the imposition of additional duty on applied tariffs when the volume of imports shoot up or the prices of imported products abnormally go down, unfairly competing with local agricultural products.

There are fears that the powerful G7 countries would reject demands from developing countries for greater protection and instead continue to push for continued liberation and market access.

Philippine agri and trade negotiators, R1 urged, should not agree to any farm deal that would abandon agriculture flexibilities for the Philippines and other developing countries.