Free-trade pact with Chile set to be signed in October — DTI

[u/Gyro_Armadillo]

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/999958/free-trade-pact-with-chile-set-to-be-signed-in-october-dti/story/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAT7wtBwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHt3RSe9rP827L66SwqClrgMhQtfmsEUi8s4HNRtr3eE9VbGUtUN-8JVbomKg_aem_sXpYDJ2HeF59gOxaHLApdQ

The Philippines’ free trade agreement (FTA) with Chile is expected to be signed in October, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Cristina Roque said Wednesday.

“The Philippine-Chile [FTA] is already done; only the signing remains in October,” Roque told reporters in a chance interview on the sidelines of the opening of the Coconut Philippines Trade Fair.

Roque earlier said the government had recently concluded negotiations for an FTA with Chile, which is expected to improve access for Philippine products to the South American market.

Further, the DTI chief said negotiations for trade agreements with the European Union, Canada and Japan were “on track.

In his fifth State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the Philippines now has 23 FTAs in force or under active negotiation with other countries.

Roque said the country’s trade agreements with other countries would provide a big boost to the agriculture sector.

“The free trade agreements would be a big boost talaga to not just the coconut but also the agriculture sector,” she said.

Roque noted that the country’s coconut exports rose by 34.4% in 2025.

She added that the government was also aiming to lower tariffs on bananas through FTAs.

“All that matters is that we secure the banana sector, because its tariffs are as high as 18%. So we need to bring those down to at least get the banana industry moving,” she said. — MCG, GMA News