PCARRD to host sympo on global trade barriers

PCARRD is preparing a symposium-workshop on global trade barriers and allied services for the agriculture, forestry and natural resources (AFNR) sectors this August. The symposium will focus on the legal trade agreements under the World Trade Organization (WTO) to enlighten the AFNR sectors on its implications and compliance provisions.

Set on 10 August at the PCARRD Headquarters in Los Baños, the symposium hopes to:

• Help understand the legal instruments embodied under the WTO’s agreements in terms of scope, implementation and the current state of the country’s adherence;

• Present the issues and problems faced by the AFNR sectors in terms of the implementation of the various legal instruments to trade and identify areas where the R&D sector can help; and

• Help formulate an R&D and S&T program for the AFNR sectors to address the gaps in adhering to the various trade agreements of the WTO.

Key presenters include the Department of Agriculture (DA) Chief WTO negotiator, Usec. Segfredo R. Serrano; government regulating agencies (DA’s BPI and NMIS), and the private sector (Chamber of Furniture Industries in the Philippines and PHILEXPORT).

Under the WTO, several legal instruments were set forth to address risks arising from inter-country transfers of goods and services: the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS), the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and the Principles for Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification (FIEIC).

The country’s understanding of these measures is still wanting. This becomes a disadvantage both from the import and export aspects of Philippine trade.

The upcoming symposium-workshop will serve as venue in crafting plans and programs on how the AFNR R&D sector can address the various technical requirements in world trade to sustain export competitiveness.

With the symposium-workshop, PCARRD hopes to evolve courses of action (including R&D, techno-transfer, policy, and capability building), which the scientific community can carry out to help the public and private sectors meet the requirements of the various WTO regulatory measures. (Ma. Rowena M. Baltazar, S&T Media Service)