Tariffs on farm goods set to fall<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (Reuter): ASEAN agriculture ministers agreed
\nyesterday to lower tariffs on 62 percent of commodities traded in
\nthe region from January 1 1996 to help realize the grouping's
\nplan of free trade in the region by 2003.<\/p>\n
But they failed to agree on lower tariffs on key commodities,
\nsuch as grains and edible oils, and decided to work with ASEAN
\neconomic ministers, who will meet in Brunei next month, to deal
\nwith the issue.<\/p>\n
"The ministers were satisfied with the progress on the
\ninclusion of unprocessed agricultural products into the Common
\nEffective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme of the ASEAN Free
\nTrade Area (AFTA)," the ministers said in a statement after two
\ndays of talks here.<\/p>\n
"The ministers agreed to the immediate inclusion of 1,304
\ntariff lines into the CEPT scheme and noted that tariff reduction
\non these products is scheduled to be implemented on January 1,
\n1996," the statement added.<\/p>\n
ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, groups
\nBrunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
\nand newcomer Vietnam.<\/p>\n
ASEAN secretary-general Ajit Singh told reporters the 1,304
\nitems accounted for 62 percent of total agricultural products
\ntraded in the region.<\/p>\n
He said member states would be asked to submit a list of
\ncommodities to be excluded from the tariff cuts before the Brunei
\nmeeting.<\/p>\n
"The economic ministers will have to work out a mechanism on
\nhow to deal with these sensitive items," he said.<\/p>\n
The tariff reductions would be part of the AFTA plan aimed for
\nimplementation by 2003. Under the scheme, which began in 1993
\nwith manufactured items, tariffs will be cut to between zero and
\nfive percent by 2003.<\/p>\n
Singapore's National Development Minister Lim Hng Kiang told a
\njoint news conference that member states should take steps to
\nmove regional trade liberalization forward.<\/p>\n
"Of course if the (number of) items on the sensitive list get
\ntoo large, then this will slow down the intention of ASEAN to
\nmove the AFTA forward," he said.<\/p>\n
But some member countries, like Malaysia, have asked for more
\ntime to make the adjustments.<\/p>\n
Malaysian Agriculture Minister Sulaiman Daud told the meeting
\non Thursday that the inclusion of sensitive products would
\n"affect the livelihood of our farmers and our efforts towards
\ndownstream processing of agricultural commodities, as well as
\ndevelopment of resource-based industries in member countries".<\/p>\n
The ministers also called for stepped up cooperation in the
\nproduction of corn and soybean to help trim reliance on imports.<\/p>\n
They noted that there had been rising imports of corn and
\nsoybean, used as a feedmeal, to cater to the expanding poultry
\nand livestock industries.<\/p>\n
The ministers said the grouping is self sufficient in rice and
\nsugar.<\/p>\n
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