But Antig expressed concern that these numbers might drop following the entry of new players that are starting to eat into the Philippines’ market share in Japan, as the Japanese government has eased the tariff rates against their exportable bananas.
Antig welcomed the ongoing review of the Philippines-Japan Economic Partnership (PJEPA) under which the Filipino trade negotiators claimed they have been pressing their Japanese counterparts to work on the elimination of the tariff.
Banana exporters complained that Japan levies hefty tariff rates –8% during summer and a maximum of 18% during winter- while Colombia, Vietnam, and countries in Central America will see no tariffs over the next three years.
Source: news.mb.com.ph
