The Philippines excludes agricultural items from Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)

The Philippine negotiating team has excluded several agricultural products, including rice, corn, sugar, pork, chicken, and coffee from being liberalized under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) mega free trade deal. This decision was made to protect the local agriculture sector from being disadvantaged. The team has also secured flexibility for agricultural products and improved market access for select products from RCEP partners like Japan and Korea. Despite concerns raised by farmers and non-governmental organizations about the lack of consultation on RCEP, the government has conducted numerous consultations and assures that the agreement will not constrain policy space or fail to address labor issues. An ex-ante analysis by the Philippines Institute for Development Studies predicts that RCEP could generate a positive net trade balance and reduce poverty in the country. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is targeting the ratification of the RCEP by the Senate this year to allow the Philippines to join the agreement on January 1, 2022.