cl:
TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
25 JUL 15 P3:23
mtSMlO'i’
SENATE
S.B. No. 658
Introduced by SENATOR IMEE R. MARCOS
AN ACT
URGING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND EXPORT 
PROMOTION OF BANANA, AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Bananas are one of the primary agricultural exports of the Philippines. The 
Philippines started exporting bananas in 1968, with Japan being the primary 
destination. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently 
noted that the Philippines had been dislodged as the third-largest banana exporter, 
with Colombia overtaking the Southeast Asian nation. Philippine banana exports last 
year fell by 3.1 percent to 2.28 million metric tons, compared to the 2.35 million metric 
tons it shipped in 2023. The country's largest export markets are China, Japan, and 
Korea.
The decrease in production can be attributed to the prevalence of the Panama 
disease or Fusar/um\N\\t According to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., 
the spread of Banana Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race 4 (TR4) disease and black sigatoka 
caused local smallholder farms, pegged at 90,000 hectares, to shrink by 50 percent. 
Smallholder farmers account for about 40 percent of the country's banana growers.
As such, there is a need for government to provide assistance to the sector in order 
to address the Panama disease outbreak in the country.
The banana export sector of the country has several disadvantages. On the 
processed sector, the lack of processing equipment for the production of banana chips 
and other processed products hinder the growth of the sector. There is a need for the 
Department of Agriculture to organize the small farmers, provide them with access to 
processing facilities, and link them with exporters.
The Philippines also has difficulties complying on the stringent regulations of 
the major markets in the region. In particular, complying with Sanitary and


Phytosanitary (SPS) permit and Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) remains problematic. 
There is a need for the Department of Agriculture to provide the farmers with the 
necessary training and assistance needed to comply with SPS and GAP standards. The 
Department of Foreign Affairs also need to negotiate with our trade partners in order 
to facilitate the process of granting of the said permits.
The biggest disadvantage of the banana export sector Is the Free Trade 
Agreements that the other exporters are signing with our trade partners. Japan already 
offers zero tariff rates on bananas imported from Viet Nam, Peru, Ecuador, and 
Indonesia. While the Philippines has just concluded the negotiation of a trade deal with 
Korea to reduce the 30-percent tariff levied on banana imports, there is still a need to 
negotiate additional free trade deals with our trade partners to preserve the 
competitiveness of Philippine Banana exports in the region.
For the abovementioned reasons, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly
sought.


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rr of ;
TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
25 JUL15 P3:23
SENATE
S.B. No. 658
RECl:vi:D -d-;
Introduced by SENATOR IMEE R. MARCOS
AN ACT
URGING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND EXPORT 
PROMOTION OF BANANA, AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Banana Export Promotion Act"
Sec. 2. Establishment of the Banana Export Promotion Council (BEPC). - A Council, 
composed of the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA) or his representative 
as the Chairperson, the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) or his 
representative, the Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) or his 
representative, and one (1) each from the banana growers and commercial processors' 
sectors to be designated by the Secretary of the DA shall be created immediately upon 
the effectivity of this Act to ensure the government's, support, and assistance to banana 
exporters. The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) under DA, through the office which 
implements the High-Value Crops Development Program, shall be designated as the 
BEPC'S Secretariat.
Sec. 3. Functions of the BEPC- The BEPC, in consultation with the Department of 
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Science and Technology 
(DOST), state universities and colleges, banana growers' and processors cooperatives 
and organizations, local government units, and the private sector, shall formulate a ten 
(10) year framework to be validated and updated annually. Such Framework shall serve 
as guide to the formulation and implementation of plans, programs and projects for 
the production, processing and marketing of Philippine banana for export worldwide, 
as envisioned in this Act. The Framework shall likewise provide for the following:
a) National Framework - The DA, DOST, state universities and colleges (SUCs), and 
other stakeholders shall strengthen the conduct of researches on banana 
particularly on areas of crop improvement, crop protection, harvesting and


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postharvest handling, supply chain analysis, marketing and promotion;
b) Investment Promotion and Facilitation - The DA and DTI shall develop programs 
establishing links between stakeholders in the Banana Industry and Government 
Financial Institutions (GFIs) and other financial cooperatives. The DA and DTI 
shall likewise develop and implement programs that would establish reasonable 
and innovative investment incentives to attract more players in the Banana 
Industry;
c) Export Promotion Support - An integrated and strategic export promotion 
program for Banana Industry shall be created. The export promotion program 
shall be responsive to market conditions, needs of the exporters, and possibilities 
offered by new products and technologies. It shall likewise provide foreign trade 
and export promotion activities through trainings, technical assistance, capacity 
building, generating awareness on export opportunities, and export planning 
assistance;
d) Strengthen Trade Policies and Support Network. - The DA shall be responsible 
in coordinating a consultative approach for the various stages of the trade policy 
making process. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) shall lead the 
negotiation of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to provide a competitive 
environment for banana exports abroad; and
e) Monitoring and Evaluation. - The DA shall continuously monitor, track, and 
analyze the progress and outcomes of the programs to be implemented to 
determine over-all effectiveness.
Sec. 4. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to implement this Act shall be included 
in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA). Thereafter, such funds as may be 
necessary for the continued Implementation of this Act shall be included in the 
succeeding annual GAA.
Sec. 5. Separabiiity Ciause. - If any provision, or part hereof, is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall 
remain valid and subsisting.
Sec. 6. Repeaiing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive order, 
letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or inconsistent 
with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly.
Sec. 7. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,