The canning and tuna industry of the European Union (EU), and especially that belonging to Galicia, feel concerned about the possibility that the Philippine tuna products can obtain favorable tariffs to have access to the EU market.
At present, the European tuna sector feels the possible elimination of tariffs on canned tuna from Thailand and the advantages that have already been granted to another producer emerging from the Pacific -- Papua New Guinea – are threats.
This is added to the fact that the Philippines is seeking to enter the Generalised Preference System (GPS) Plus that the EU has in order to support developing countries.
Under this system, Philippine entrepreneurs are seeking to achieve the elimination of the current tariff of 24 per cent for canned tuna that is now imposed by Brussels on their country. The Philippines is one of the five largest producers of tuna in the world, and its tuna industry is anticipating an increase in production and exports to Europe.
The general secretary of the National Association of Manufacturers of Canned Fish and Shellfish (Anfaco-Cecopesca), Juan Manuel Vieites, mentioned the sector’s concern about the recent statements made by a Philippine leader, the newspaperFaro de Vigo reported.
The executive director of the Tuna Canners Association of the Philippines (TCAP), Francisco Buencamino, said last week that once the entry to GSP Plus is achieved, they expect that tuna exports to the EU increase by 64 per cent for next year, reported MindaNews.
According to Buencamino, the projected increase implies a rise in tuna exports to the EU market of two million cases, over 3.2 million cases sent last year for USD 123.3 million.
"Once we get into the GSP Plus program, our export prices (for canned tuna) will become more competitive, mainly because of the removal of the 24 per cent duyty," added the Philippine leader.
Exporters "will not need to adjust prices, as we have been compelled to do to remain globally competitive, to accommodate the burdensome duty imposed on EU imports of canned tuna from the Philippines," he concluded.