Philexport seeks lifting of ban on brown algae, seagrass

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (Philexport) is calling for the suspension of an administrative order which bans the use and export of brown algae and seagrass.

In a letter to the Department of Agriculture (DA), Philexport president Sergio Ortiz-Luis, Jr. said the group wants the government to suspend the implementation of  Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) No. 250 series of 2014 which prohibits the harvest, sale and export of brown algae and seagrass.

This, even as Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources director Asis Perez clarified in a letter to the DA that the three types of seagrass commonly utilized as raw materials are not banned for export.

Ortiz-Luis said the FAO which took effect last May 2, was implemented without consultation with exporters.

He said the FAO is “creating confusion and work stoppage among exporters in the homestyle, handicrafts, and furniture sectors which use seagrass as inputs or main material for their products.”

Revisiting the FAO, he said, is crucial as its enforcement “will result (in) increased unemployment especially in the countryside, where many farmers and gatherers are dependent on this raw material for their livelihood.”

“Ultimately, the adverse impact on the country’s already declining export performance will also be felt,” he added.

Other countries such as Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam use seagrass extensively for their local and export products.

As such, Ortiz-Luis said the FAO would be another big blow against the government and private sector campaign for increased export competitiveness with the regulation becoming another non-tariff barrier against the country’s own exports.

The FAO is also seen to violate Executive Order (EO) 1016, known as Withdrawing the Inspection, Commodity and Export Clearance Requirements on Philippine Exports, because it did not undergo review and approval by the inter-agency committee.