Philippines Tropical insights

Core Tip: Recently, Emmanuel Belviz, president of the Davao City Durian Industry Council (DCDIC), said that three exporters are waiting for approval from the China Import Food Overseas Production Enterprise Registration Administration (CIFER) to export frozen durian to China.

Reporter: Lailatul Anisah | Editor: Yudho Winarto KONTAN.CO.ID - JAKARTA. The Indonesian government plans to improve the management of coconut commodities which are considered to have great economic potential but have not been optimally utilized. This was conveyed by the Expert Staff of the Minister of PPN for the Development of Leading Sectors and Infrastructure, Leonardo A.A Teguh Sambodo, who revealed that Indonesia, which used to be the world's largest coconut producer until 2020, has now been overtaken by the Philippines. "The Philippines currently has 3.7 million hectares of coconut land, while Indonesia has almost 3.4 million hectares," said Teguh in a media briefing in Jakarta, Friday (27/9). According to Teguh, one of the main obstacles faced by the coconut industry in Indonesia is low productivity, especially because the majority of coconut plantations are managed by conventional farmers. Coconut productivity in Indonesia is still stagnant at 1.1 tons per hectare, with 98.95% of the land being traditional community gardens

The Philippine Senate has ratified a free trade agreement with South Korea. This move will reduce tariffs on various goods between the two countries. The Philippines aims to increase exports of bananas and processed pineapples to South Korea, while South Korean automakers are expected to benefit from reduced tariffs on their products.