Agriculture Undersecretary Waldo R. Carpio (right) exchanges tokens with Ministry of Agriculture Head of the Department of International Cooperation Maksim Markovich during the 1st Joint Working Group Meeting on Agricultural Cooperation in Moscow on December 5, 2018. (V. Cara photo)
MOSCOW – Philippine fishery products can now enter the Russian market after the conclusion of talks between agriculture officials from the Philippines and Russia on December 5, 2018 in Moscow.
Agriculture Undersecretary Waldo R. Carpio said that three Philippine fisheries exporters have been granted accreditation to export fisheries products to Russia. The announcement was made following the first-ever Philippines-Russia Joint Working Group Meeting on Agricultural Cooperation held in Moscow on December 5.
The Joint Working Group meeting is a direct result of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol and his counterpart, then Minister of Agriculture Aleksandr Tkachov, during the landmark visit of President Rodrigo Duterte to Moscow in May 2017.
“We give credit to the President’s policy of engaging Russia and other non-traditional partners for opening access to a very important market for our fisheries exports,” said Undersecretary Carpio. “We look forward to continuing and expanding this symbiotic relationship between the Philippines and Russia,” he added.
Bigfish Foods (canned fish), Century Pacific Food (canned fish), and RDEX Food International (fresh/frozen/chilled fish) have been cleared to export their products to the Russian market after undergoing stringent inspections by the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance.
The same companies may now also export to Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan under the Eurasian Economic Union single market.
Undersecretary Carpio led a delegation composed of Dr. Maria Araceli Escandor and Kristine Yap of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Dr. Imelda Santos of the Bureau of Animal Industry, Dr. Dennis Tiotangco of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and Dr. Paulo Silarde of the National Meat Inspection Service.
They were joined by Second Secretary and Consul Jeffrey Valdez, Third Secretary and Vice Consul Catherine Alpay, and Cultural Officer Vida Cara of the Philippine Embassy in Moscow, Commercial Counsellor Kristine Umali, and Agricultural Attaché Jose Laquian.
While in Russia, Undersecretary Carpio and his delegation will also have meetings in Moscow and St. Petersburg with several potential importers of Philippine fishery products.
From Russia, the DA team will proceed to Minsk in Belarus to meet with their counterparts to discuss technical cooperation and also meet with potential importers. (DFA PR)
