Palace downplays banana destruction

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang yesterday downplayed concerns over the destruction of 35 metric tons of bananas the Philippines exported to China, saying it would not affect bilateral trade relations in the face of territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said “the quantity is too small in terms of the overall Philippines-China trade relations.”

“The reported quantity is equivalent to only two containers or around 2,700 boxes with value estimated at P1.4 million only,” Coloma explained, quoting Trade Secretary Adrian Cristobal Jr. whom the Palace consulted.

Reports said that customs officials at the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen destroyed the bananas imported from the Philippines after these were found to have an excessive amount of pesticide.

“We surmised that the subject shipment did not meet the rigid sanitary and phytosanitary inspections of China and were rejected and destroyed routinely as part of procedures to prevent contamination,” Coloma said.

“The quantity is not unusual as far as rejections are concerned in the normal course of business. It is also possible that the shipment was rejected due to levels of pesticide exceeding maximum residue limit or MRL,” he added.

He also noted that the World Trade Organization has a standing policy on sanitary and phytosanitary inspection and it is routine on the part of the receiving country to make the assessment based on quality control inspection.