Angara bats for quid-pro-quo in RP-Australia trade

The government can use the country’s importation of Australian feeder cattle as a leverage in pushing for the immediate entry of world-class Philippine fruits into the restricted Australian market, Sen. Edgardo Angara said yesterday.

With such a leverage utilized during his term as agriculture secretary, Angara said he managed to have Australia agree to his proposal for trade reciprocity and fair trading terms.

Angara claimed it was the first breakthrough in the long effort to ease Australia’s ban on Philippine fruits and other agricultural exports after almost "two decades of restriction."

"The Philippines is one of the biggest importer of Australian feeder cattle. It imports dairy, meat and other agricultural commodities from Canberra. We have enough reasons to push for reciprocity," Angara said.

The senator emphasized Philippine farm interests should be the number one consideration in discussing terms of agricultural trade with Australia.

The first major commitment of Australia, during Angara’s term, was to conduct risk analysis on Philippine bananas and pineapples. Canberra committed to accept the Philippine fruit exports after the conclusion of the risk analysis.

The entry of Philippine fruit exports into Australia was strongly opposed by Australian traders, to the extent of utilizing black propaganda to discourage consumers from patronizing produce from other countries.

Last Tuesday, presidential adviser on jobs creation Luis Lorenzo said the country’s imports of dairy products from Australia would continue only upon admission of Philippine fruits into Canberra.