Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban and Brazilian Ambassador Jose Maria de Souza e Silva, on December 9, discussed necessary measures for a stronger, more vibrant agricultural cooperation between the two countries.

Ambassador de Souza called for the potential creation of a model system of inspecting export meat and meat products in which the Brazilian side would be “co-responsible for the quality and standards of export products” in order to make the entire process “more flexible, more agile.”

Meat products such as boneless bovine meat, chicken meat, and swine meat—both fresh and frozen—are the Philippines’ top imported products from Brazil in 2021.

Meanwhile, DA Senior Undersecretary Panganiban expressed the country’s interest to export fishery products, anticipating advice from Brazil on the technical information required.  He also reiterated DA’s interest to procure porcine meal and sexed riverine buffalo sperm from Brazil.

Brazil was also requested to lower the 55 % tariff on coconut and its by-products to help increase the Philippines’ competitiveness in the Brazilian market.

Desiccated coconuts, coconut water and concentrates, virgin coconut oil, and fractions of unrefined coconut oil are among the top ten Philippine export products to Brazil.

A joint team consisting of Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) and the Philippines’ Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) shall be created to study processes and procedures to adopt in order to maintain a dynamic Philippines-Brazil relation in agriculture. ### (Krystelle Ymari Vergara, DA-AFID)