US to fast-track protocols on RP banana exports

MANILA, July 4 (PNA) -- The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has assured the Philippines to fast track the processing of quarantine protocols to enable Filipino growers to export hard green bananas to the American mainland.

The USDA made the commitment during President Arroyo’s working visit to the U.S.

USDA executives have also agreed with visiting Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) officials led by Secretary Arthur Yap to implement right away an initial two projects on the biotechnology training of Filipino scientists in American universities and a US agricultural trade and investment mission to Mindanao within the year.

These projects and commitments were reached in separate meetings between USDA officials led by Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer and Yap along with DA Assistant Secretary Josyline Javelosa and Philippine agricultural attaché Victoriano Leviste, following the recent signing of the Framework Agreement on Cooperation on Agriculture and Related Fields.

With the Philippine leader as witness, Yap and Schafer signed at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel the framework agreement meant to renew and enhance cooperation between Washington and Manila on farm productivity, food security and sustainable resource management through science and technology.

Javelosa said the framework agreement was signed before President Arroyo’s meeting with Schafer, in which “the President highlighted that the US and the Philippines should prioritize collaboration in the rice sector.”

She said that Yap and Schafer also met after the signing ceremony “to discuss areas for immediate collaboration.”

“Secretary Yap took the occasion to inquire on the banana protocol pending with the Animal Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS) of the USDA during the meeting,” Javelosa said.

“Secretary Schafer assured Secretary Yap that the processing of the protocol for Philippine bananas will be fast tracked by his agency,” Javelosa said.

“According to Bureau of Plant Industry quarantine officials, they are optimistic that the evaluation of the Philippines’ banana pest mitigation measures will turn out to be favorable and a protocol for the exportation of hard green bananas can be agreed upon and completed soon,” she said.

Yap, Javelosa and Leviste met separately with Ms. Patricia Sheikh, Deputy Administrator of the USDA’s Office of Capacity Building under the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), and Emel Lyons, FAS Senior Policy Adviser for Asia, to map out immediate areas for collaboration.

Javelosa said that Sheikh and Lyons had committed to work closely with her and Leviste on “jumpstarting the implementation of the bilateral agreement by launching two projects within the next six months.”

Javelosa said that, “the first project will be undertaken under the Norman Borlaug Program whereby Philippine scientists in the field of biotechnology will be sent for training and joint research with scientists in United States universities.

Likewise a training program on cocoa production will be provided to Filipino farmers in developing a high-value crop which can be intercropped with coconut for income augmentation.

“The second project is an agricultural trade and investment mission of US’ enterprises to the Philippines,” she said. “The mission is targeted to visit Mindanao in the latter part of the year.”