Durian Export Promotion Act

Seale Office vi the societary TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) SEP -2 P4:47 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILTPPINES, First Regular Session SENATE RECEIVED BY: S.B. No. _ 1335 Introduced by SENATOR IMEE R. MARCOS AN ACT URGING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND EXPORT PROMOTION OF DURIAN, AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR EXPLANATORY NOTE According to the "2023 Global Durian Trade Overview" released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, global exports of durian have grown 10 times for 2003 to 2022. The global trade for durian peaked at 930,000 metric tons for 2021, before dropping slightly to 870,000 metric tons in 2022. Thailand remains the biggest durian exporter in the world. However, Vietnam is slowly increasing its market share in the global durian market, with its export value reaching USD 3.3 billion or a 7.8-fold increase compared with 2022. As the main importer of durian, China purchases 95% of the global world exports, followed by Singapore at 3%. For 2024, China imported USD 7 billion worth of durian. The Philippines started exporting fresh durian to China on 2023 as part of the USD 2 billion fruit export deal sealed between Manila and Beijing, with the first batch of about 28 tons of durian was sent to China through the Davao International Airport last April 2023.

Despite the industry's potential, durian farmers are hampered by post handling and quality control problems. In particular, the industry suffers from logistical and technical problems in terms of international distribution. Durian farmers also have difficulties complying with the phytosanitary requirements of the international market. There is a need for government to provide assistance to durian farmers such as training for packaging and complying with food standards, optimizing planting technique, and managing diseases. This bill seeks to address the concerns mentioned above by providing the mechanism for the establishment of programs for efficient production, processing, marketing, and distribution of durian to ensure growth in production and export. For the abovementioned reasons, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. Free h. Marca IMEER. MARCOS

• Senate Office of the s, ratarp TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session SEP -2 P4: SENATE RECEIVED BY: S.B. No. 1335 Introduced by SENATOR IMEE R. MARCOS AN ACT URGING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND EXPORT PROMOTION OF DURIAN, 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 "Durian Export

Promotion Act."

Sec. 2. Establishment of the Durian Export Promotion Council (DEPC).

- 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 durian 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 durian 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 PEPC'S Secretariat.

Sec. 3. Functions of the DEPC- The DEPC, in consultation with the

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), state universities and colleges, durian 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 durian 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 durian

particularly on areas of crop improvement, crop protection, harvesting and 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 Durian 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 Durian Industry; c) Export Promotion Support - An integrated and strategic export promotion program for Durian 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 durian 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. Separability Clause. - 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. Repealing 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,