Tuesday, April 8, 2008 [ philstar.com ]
The Philippines and the Republic of Korea are finalizing the details of a proposed seafood processing facility in Dagupan City through a $2.2-million grant from the latter’s aid implementing agency.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said a survey team from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) visited the country recently to work out the details of the project.
During their visit, the KOICA team, led by Kim In, and Dagupan City Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. discussed the measures to be undertaken to guarantee the successful implementation of the project which will tap Korean technology to improve the facilitation and processing of seafood exports from the Pangasinan port.
The project involves the construction of a 1,500-square-meter seafood processing plant that will include packing, heating and smoking equipment; quick-freeze and ice-making facilities; air showers, sterilizers and other sanitary equipment.
The project will also include the training of Filipino technical personnel in Korea to equip them with skills to properly operate, manage and maintain the processing plant.
Yap said this initiative is in line with President Arroyo’s food program called “Pagkain sa Bawat Mesa, Negosyo sa Sakahan-Laban sa Kahirapan.”
Besides the Dagupan seafood processing facility, Yap said Korea has also provided assistance to other development projects in the Philippines and facilitated bilateral trade between the two countries.
Last year, Yap said Korea excluded Philippine bananas from the list of products subject to its 10-percent adjustment tariff on imports.
The exemption of Philippine bananas from the payment of the new adjustment duties effective Jan.1 last year has effectively lifted the quantitative restrictions imposed by South Korea on Philippine bananas.
A consistent top market for the country’s fresh and processed products, South Korea used to impose a 30-percent basic tariff on Philippine bananas.
Prior to Jan. 1, 2007, it had also imposed a 10-percent adjustment rate on bananas, the only fruit subject to this kind of tariff, making it a quantitative restriction to discourage imports of this fruit.
The adjustment tariff was a distortive trade practice, considering that Korea has no banana industry to protect because the fruit is not grown in “commercially meaningful” quantities in that country.
_____________________________________________________________________
