Philippines pushes zero tariffs on banana exports to Japan

MANILA, Philippines —  The Philippines is pressing for zero tariffs on its banana exports to Japan as it finalizes a bilateral trade agreement, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said among the key topics of the revised Japan–Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) negotiations are cutting the tariffs imposed on locally grown bananas.

“This will open the Japan market for our bananas, because they have a tariff of eight to 18 percent. It is higher compared to our ASEAN neighbors,” she said.

Roque said the government is pushing for zero tariffs on bananas, though the final rate remains under negotiation.

“I mean, that’s what we want, but let’s wait for the final. What’s important is that they are already open to talks,” she added.

Bananas imported from the Philippines are imposed an 18 percent tariff from Oct. 1 to March 31, while shipments from April 1 to Sept. 30 are slapped with an eight percent tariff.

The Philippines exported nearly three million metric tons of fresh bananas last year, from 2.33 million MT recorded in 2024, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.

The country regained its spot as the second largest banana exporter after Ecuador.

The improvement was caused by a surge in local banana production last year after plantations recovered from damage brought by pests affecting harvest.

Meanwhile, Roque said both sides have been working to conclude their negotiations by November.

“If everything goes as planned, we need to conclude it by November because the President wants to finish all these free trade agreements,” she added.

JPEPA is a bilateral free trade and economic agreement between Manila and Tokyo, with both sides seeking to revise the 20-year-old framework and address bottlenecks between agricultural and automotive trade, among others.