The Philippine government is asking Japan to set the next general review of its free trade agreement as the country has offensive interests in agriculture.
According to the Department of Trade and Industry , imported bananas from the Philippines are slapped with an 18 percent tariff during the winter season and an 8 percent tariff during summer in Japan under the Philippines-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement . “At one point, we are at the high 90s share of our bananas. Right now, I think we’re on the 70s. The landed cost coming from Ecuador is high but we are losing share, and this is something we need to look into,” she said partly in Filipino.