{"id":19096,"date":"2024-06-06T03:05:55","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T03:05:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/energybuzz.ph\/staging\/6915\/government-warned-against-low-tariff-regime\/"},"modified":"2024-06-06T03:05:55","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T03:05:55","slug":"government-warned-against-low-tariff-regime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/energybuzz.ph\/staging\/6915\/government-warned-against-low-tariff-regime\/","title":{"rendered":"Government warned against low tariff regime"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, <\/b><\/span>Reporter<\/i><\/p>\n

TRADE PROTECTION is needed if the government is serious about rescuing its agriculture and manufacturing sectors, experts said after the Philippines announced a new low tariff regime covering industrial and agricultural products.<\/div>\n

Farmers, meanwhile, said the government has failed to keep its promise that it would not reduce tariffs for sensitive agricultural commodities while the Philippines is still a party to the world\u2019s largest free trade agreement.<\/p>\n

The country has been lowering tarif<\/span>fs since the early 1980s, with manufacturing falling to its smallest share of economic output since 1949 and agriculture down to its smallest in the country\u2019s history, said Jose Enrique A. Africa, executive director of think tank Ibon Foundation.<\/p>\n

\u201cMindlessly cutting tari<\/span>f<\/span>fs further will just continue this long-term trend of weakening agriculture and manufacturing,\u201d he said in a Facebook Messenger chat.<\/span><\/p>\n

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board on Monday approved a medium-term plan to lower tarif<\/span>fs on agricultural and industrial products, amid concerns over rising inf<\/span>lation, and slowing manufacturing output.<\/p>\n

Under the Comprehensive Tarif<\/span>f Program for 2024 to 2028, the government would keep the rates for more than half of the tarif<\/span>f lines for products that have relatively low tarif<\/span>fs, a move that NEDA Secretary Arsenio M. Bali<\/span>sacan said would boost manufacturers\u2019 competitiveness.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgricultural and industrial competitiveness is, most of all, built up from the ground with state subsidies and support to build capacity astride judicious trade and tarif<\/span>f protection,\u201d Mr. Africa said.<\/p>\n

He cited the case of the United States, which has been on a mission to subsidize its manufacturing sector amid growing competition with China, which accounted for 28.4% of global manufacturing output last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf an industrial power like the US sees the need for protection, it\u2019s bizarre that the underdeveloped Philippines somehow thinks otherwise,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Under the tari<\/span>f<\/span>f program, the reduced tari<\/span>f<\/span>f rates for corn, pork and mechanically deboned meat that started in 2019 would be kept until 2028. Rice tari<\/span>f<\/span>fs will go down to 15% <\/span>from the current 35% until 2028.<\/span><\/p>\n

Raul Q. Montemayor of the Federation of Free Farmers lamented that the government earlier assured farmers that rice and other sensitive agricultural commodities would not suffer any diminution in tariff protection while the Philippines is part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).<\/p>\n

The National Government has also failed to consult stakeholders before deciding to lower tariffs for industrial and agricultural products including rice, he added in a Viber message.<\/p>\n

\u201cNEDA has deprived industry stakeholders of their right to genuine consultation and due process,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Proposed tariff changes have to undergo hearings conducted by the Tariff Commission, which will then give the recommendations to the NEDA Board chaired by the President.<\/p>\n

Mr. Montemayor said further reduction in rice tariffs would \u201chugely\u201d affect the \u201cmorale and productive efforts\u201d of three million domestic rice farmers and the rice industry as a whole, noting that the country\u2019s dependence on rice imports has grown to 25% from 10%. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur experience since trading in the rice industry was liberalized\u2026 and tariffs were lowered also on non-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) rice imports has not been salutary. But rice retail prices have risen,\u201d he said. \u201cThat the 15% tariff on rice will provide major and lasting relief to consumers is more a shot in the dark than a probable result.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Samahan ng Industriya ng Agrikultura said that when the Finance department last year announced plans to lower rice tariff, Vietnam and Thailand started to increase rice prices to $680 per metric ton (MT) from $630\/MT of the 5% broken rice variety.<\/p>\n

Non-ASEAN rice exporters like India and Pakistan simply increased their export tax, it said in a Viber message.<\/p>\n

As of end May, the Philippines has already imported two million MT of rice, equivalent to 53% of projected imports.<\/p>\n

The agriculture sector\u2019s contribution to the gross domestic product last year fell to 8.6% \u2014 the smallest in the country\u2019s history \u2014 from 9.55% a year earlier.<\/p>\n

Political economy researcher Hansley A. Juliano from the Ateneo de Manila University noted the farm sector\u2019s weakening <\/span>power in terms of policy lobbying. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, our farmer sector is getting older so just by themselves, even the successful agrarian reform benef<\/span>iciaries and cooperative farm movements, they\u2019re not really a strong lobby,\u201d he said via Messenger chat.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the government\u2019s move to reduce tariffs on coal is unlikely to lower the cost of electricity as coal prices continue to rise, Greenpeace Philippines campaigner Khevin Yu said via Messenger chat.<\/p>\n

He said the move will prolong the country\u2019s reliance on coal and af<\/span>fect its transition to renewables.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best way to reduce electricity cost is to utilize the cheapest source of energy which is renewable energy,\u201d he added, blaming \u201cfaulty operational capacity\u201d of coal-f<\/span>ired power plants that led to yellow power alerts across the main island of Luzon.<\/p>\n

A 2024 Green Economy Report for Southeast Asia led by Bain & Company said the Philippines saw a 57% increase in \u201cgreen\u201d investments to $1.46 billion in 2023, but still falls short of the over $16 billion in required capital investments needed for its green transition.<\/p>\n

\u201cNEDA should instead create more incentives for power generators, distributors and even for electric consumers who use renewables,\u201d Mr. Yu said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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