Agriculture secretary Proceso Alcala assured banana growers and exporters in Mindanao of sure markets for their products when he spoke before businessmen during the opening ceremony of the 12th Davao Trade Exhibit last November 5 at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
“Sinisiguro po namin na hindi mabubulok ang mga saging natin dito sa Mindanao,” Alcala said following the recent clarification by the Iranian government exempting Philippine bananas from the list of products from entry to that country.
The banana export industry recently announced that the Iranian government no longer includes Philippine bananas, papayas, and pineapples in the list of 49 fruits Iran has banned from importation.
Alcala, however, clarified that the banana export industry is rather faced by the lack of a letter of credit to be handled by banks in Iran.
The Department of Agriculture, nevertheless, is looking for ways to address this issue.
If in case exportation to Iran does not push through, Alcala assured the exporters of alternative markets that can absorb the banana export production.
“We have identified four new markets to which we can export our bananas,” he said. The industry is looking forward to getting more orders from Japan, continue exporting to China, and finalizing an agreement with Australia.
The city government of Davao expressed support in case exportation of bananas to Iran is stalled.
City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said the city’s role would focus on looking for emergency employment for those who will lose jobs as a consequence.
It was expected that the Iran embargo would result in massive layoffs in the banana industry.
Data released by the Philippine Quarantine Service pegged Iranian demand for Philippine bananas at 32 billion boxes last year. It generated foreign exchange earning of P4.8 billion to the Philippine economy, benefiting 216,000 residents in Mindanao provinces. [PIA 11/Mai Gevera]
