CHINA has allowed the importation of durian from the Philippines, its ambassador to Manila said.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Jan. 11, Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian said “Philippine durians meeting the import requirements can now have the same market access as Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam.”
“This announcement is a fruit of labor after Philippine President Marcos visited Beijing last week, where various deals and agreements on many industries, including agriculture, were signed,” Huang said.
Citing data from the Philippine Department of Agriculture, the envoy said more than 9,000 direct jobs and over 1,000 indirect jobs will be created by the newly approved rule.
“I hope these numbers translate to greater benefits for Filipino farmers and China-Philippine agriculture ties!” he said.
Marcos earlier this month said the Philippines and China have begun discussions on how the trade deficit between the two countries could be narrowed down, starting with a plan for Beijing to import more durian from Mindanaoan provinces.
“There has been created what we call the ‘Durian Protocol’ because they are opening their trade to imports of durian and other agricultural products from the Philippines so that we can regress the imbalance in our imports and exports from China,” Marcos had said.
The “Durian Protocol” involves the creation of “phytosanitary requirements for the export of fresh durians from the Philippines to China,” according to a statement from the Office of the Press Secretary.
Marcos visited Beijing on Jan. 3 to 5. (ABS-CBN News)
